Wharton School, from the University of Pennsylvania, US, has the best MBA program in the world, according to the annual ranking by the British newspaper Financial Times. In the recently released ranking, the American Columbia Business School appears in second place, while the French Insead and the American Harvard Business School share the third position. Wharton stood out mainly for the high salaries earned by its students three years after graduating. The median salary for alumni of the 100 ranked schools was $161,000, while the average Wharton alumni recorded in 2021 was $238,000.

The FT rankings are based on data provided by participating schools and alumni, with significant weightings given to salary and salary increase three years after completion, as well as factors including academic research output, and student and faculty diversity measured by gender mix and citizenship. The best-placed schools adapted to the pandemic – both in digital ways of teaching and about topics covered in the programs – to continue attracting students. 

Demand for MBAs at top schools stayed high last year, according to the FT. Among 81 schools analyzed, total MBA admissions rose to 14,566 in 2021, up from 14,168 in 2019 and signaling a rebound after falling to 13,534 in 2020.

Half of the 100 business schools appearing on the 2022 list are located in the United States, including nine of the top 15 listed. Nine ranked schools are in the UK. Six schools are located in China, three in Hong Kong, four in India, one in Mexico, and one in South Korea.

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Sorce: FT