The Economist MBA Ranking report for 2022 full-time MBA programs has just been released, with some interesting shifts this year. Most notably, US MBA programs have regained the top positions. Given that the Economist did not release rankings in 2020 and most, including all of the M7 schools, declined to participate in the 2021 Economist MBA rankings, many top US business schools are returning to the Economist MBA rankings for the first time since 2019.
Below, see the 2022 Economist MBA rankings and get Personal MBA Coach’s insight on how to use MBA rankings.
Harvard has secured the #1 spot, a jump from #2 the last time the business school was part of the Economist MBA rankings in 2019. Wharton holds the #2 spot this year, also a rise from its 2019 ranking of 5th place. Coming in 3rd, Kellogg moved up from its 2019 ranking of 4th place.
In 4th place this year is Columbia Business School, which experienced a massive shift up from #15 the last time it was part of the rankings in 2019. MIT Sloan rounded out the top 5 in this year’s Economist MBA rankings. Once again, this is significant jump from the school’s placement of #19 in 2019.
Interestingly enough, Duke Fuqua holds 6th place this year, ranking ahead of two of the M7 programs. Again, this is an upward shift from Fuqua’s #11 standing in 2019. HEC Paris holds 7th place in this year’s Economist MBA rankings and is the only non-US business school in the top 10. HEC Paris did participate in the 2021 rankings and, given the increased participation from US business schools this year, has dropped five places from #2.
Closing out the top 10, Stanford GSB took 8th place (the same position as its 2019 ranking), Chicago Booth took 9th (a large drop from #1 in 2019), and Michigan Ross took 10th. Ross was one of the few top US business schools that was present in the 2021 Economist MBA rankings. Again, due to the return of other top US schools, Ross dropped 7 places from #3.
Beyond the top 10, Dartmouth Tuck holds the 11th place in this year’s rankings (one up from #12 in 2019), followed by Berkeley Haas in 12th (a drop from #7 in 2019). Italy’s SDA Bocconi holds 13th place this year (a drop from its 2021 ranking of 6th place). Following close behind is UVA Darden in 14th (up from #16 in 2019) and NYU Stern in 15th. Stern was among the few top US business schools in the 2021 Economist MBA rankings, where it previously held 4th place.
Now #16, IESE Business School has lost its #1 title from the 2021 rankings. In 17th place is Yale SOM (up from #21 in 2019). EDHEC Business School is down 11 places from its 2021 ranking, now holding #18. WashU Olin took #19, a somewhat surprising placement above schools like UCLA Anderson and Cornell Johnson. This is a huge leap from the school’s 2019 ranking of #41.
Concluding the top 20 is UCLA Anderson. The school dropped quite a bit from its previous ranking of #6 in 2019.
Keep in Mind
Remember, changes over time are more important than yearly fluctuations. Plus, these rankings can vary significantly from one source to the next (check out Personal MBA Coach’s blog posts on the US News Historical MBA Rankings and the latest Bloomberg Businessweek and Financial Times rankings).
The continual shuffling at the top and schools’ rotation in and out of the top 10 exhibits the increasing competition among esteemed MBA programs. While, naturally, the M7 business schools have a strong reputation, we encourage clients to select a broad range of target schools. On average, Personal MBA Coach clients apply to 5 to 8 schools to increase their chances of admission.
Of course, rankings are only one part of the equation. MBA hopefuls should not all apply to Harvard Business School because it is #1 in the 2022 Economist MBA rankings, nor should they lose sleep over the fact that Stanford GSB is #8 this year.
Beyond rankings, candidates should consider a program’s culture, academic programming, location, particular areas of specialization, and post-graduate employment rate. For more information, please visit Personal MBA Coach’s full-time MBA program guides here.
Looking for guidance as you begin the application process? School selection is a key component of Personal MBA Coach’s comprehensive packages. Contact us today to learn how we can help guide you every step of the way.
