All the Latest News From U.S. News MBA Rankings 2025
Every spring, the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) publishes their highly anticipated full-time MBA rankings. This year is no exception. Deemed by some as the most reliable ranking of business schools and universities in the United States, the U.S. News MBA Rankings have revealed some interesting shifts this year.
In this report, you’ll find the top ten list, a summary of the methodology, analysis of the results for 2025 and explore at what this means for students in the U.S this year.
So, without further ado, here are the top ten schools from the U.S. News MBA Rankings 2025:
The U.S. News MBA Rankings 2025: The Top 10
1. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
2. Northwestern University (Kellogg)
2. Stanford University
4. University of Chicago (Booth)
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Sloan)
6. Dartmouth College (Tuck)
6. Harvard University
6. New York University (Stern)
9. Columbia University
10. Yale University
In summary, in the 2025 rankings, Wharton claimed first place outright, moving up from a tie with Stanford in 2024. Stanford now ties with Kellogg for second place, followed by Chicago Booth and MIT Sloan. Harvard tied for equal sixth with Dartmouth’s Tuck and NYU Stern. Columbia ranked ninth, and Yale tenth. Within the Top 25, Ohio State (Fisher) saw the largest gain, rising seven spots to 24th, and Washington (Foster) climbed five places to 22nd. Conversely, USC (Marshall) dropped six places to 24th, and UNC (Kenan-Flagler) fell eight spots to 28th, moving outside the top 25.
Significance of U.S. News & World Report Rankings
While the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings are considered the worldwide gold standard, U.S. News rankings hold exceptional prestige within the United States for both local and international MBA applicants.
The MBA, originally an American innovation now found globally, sees the U.S. commanding approximately 50% of the market share for prestigious, internationally recognized programs. These annual rankings significantly impact application volume and candidate quality, which subsequently affects admission rates and potentially influences long-term employment statistics and tuition pricing. These things are not insignificant for institutions whose annual operating budgets tend to hover around half a billion dollars, give or take a few hundred million.
This explains why these competitive business education leaders vigorously compete for top positions. Most schools maintain dedicated offices that carefully manage and report data to various ranking organizations (U.S. News, Financial Times, The Economist, QS, Fortune, Bloomberg, etc.) to ensure the best representation in the annual lists.
What’s New in the 2025 U.S. News MBA Rankings? Results and Analysis
In 2025, the Wharton School has claimed the top position in the new U.S. News MBA ranking. A significant development this year is the dramatic rise of American University’s Kogod Business School, which jumped 27 places to rank 58th, marking the largest gain of any full-time MBA program. This is notable considering the program ranked 122nd just two years ago.
However, the rankings also reveal considerable instability overall, with 11 full-time MBA programs experiencing double-digit drops. The College of William & Mary’s Mason School of Business and St. Louis University both saw the steepest decline, falling 21 places to 61st and 118th, respectively. Another aspect of note, is the close scores among many top programs, with 18 of the top 24 schools being tied. In fact, the programs ranked between 20 and 40 are described as essentially tied.
Methodology of the U.S. News MBA Rankings 2025
The U.S. News Best Business Schools rankings assess full-time, campus-based MBA programs, emphasizing career outcomes, student quality, and expert opinions. Designed mainly for recent graduates leaving the workforce, the rankings differ from the methods used for online, part-time, and specialized business degrees.
Half of the ranking relies on graduates’ employment success and earnings, including job placement at graduation (7%) and three months after graduation (13%), average starting salaries and bonuses (20%), and salary by profession (10%).
Rankings also factor in qualitative assessments from business school peers (12.5%) and corporate recruiters (12.5%), plus student selectivity through median GMAT/GRE scores (13%), median undergraduate GPA (10%), and acceptance rates (2%).
As a result, the methodology, while outlined clearly by U.S. News, faces some scrutiny this year.
Low Response Rates
U.S. News surveyed 508 AACSB-accredited institutions offering traditional or accelerated master’s-level business programs, with a total of 337 statistical survey recipients responding. In the end, U.S. News ranked 133 business schools based on sufficiently reported data. Ranking scores are standardized and weighted to reflect each school’s overall position relative to the top performer. Low response rates for the peer and recruiter assessment surveys remain a point of criticism, with only approximately half of the ranked schools participating in the peer assessment.
Criticism Of Relevance of GMAT And GRE in 2025
For the first time, U.S. News used data from both the old and the new GMAT Focus Edition. Critics point to the continued weighting of GMAT and GRE scores (13%) in MBA rankings, despite the increasing adoption of test-optional policies, might not align with all students’ application profiles or current admission trends.
Concern for Survey Manipulation
In addition, specialized rankings in fields such as finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship are based solely on nominations from business school deans. Schools must respond annually to U.S. News’ statistical surveys to maintain eligibility for rankings and online directory inclusion. There’s a prevailing concern about the potential for manipulation in these surveys.
Greater Emphasis On Employment Rates
Overall, the rankings prioritize employment outcomes due to the increasing importance of career advancement and earnings potential among MBA students, many of whom temporarily exit the workforce. Part-time MBA data collected in the survey informs a separate ranking for part-time MBAs, but does not affect full-time rankings. This comprehensive approach enables students to make informed choices aligned with career goals and personal preferences.
What Does This Ranking Mean For Students in the U.S.?
The U.S. News graduate school rankings, including those for law, medicine, engineering, education, and business, aim to aid college graduates looking to further their education. However, it’s crucial for students in the U.S. to understand what these rankings signify and how they should be used in their decision-making process.
Firstly, the rankings can serve as a starting point for research. They provide a broad overview of various graduate programs across different disciplines, allowing prospective students to identify potential schools of interest.
Secondly, the rankings offer some insights into career outcomes, particularly in the field of law, where three new rankings comparing schools based on different career outcomes will be unveiled. Furthermore the new MyLaw Rankings quiz empowers students to create custom rankings based on their individual preferences, enabling that students to prioritize factors most important to their personal career goals.
However, prospective MBA students should be aware of the limitations and criticisms associated with these rankings. The underlying data separating many schools can be statistically insignificant, especially in the mid-tier rankings. The volatility of the rankings, as demonstrated by the significant rise of American University and the double-digit falls of other programs, suggests that a school’s position can change considerably year to year.
Use Rankings As A Starting Point
Remember to consider these rankings alongside your personal values like campus culture, program strength, location, and overall cost. U.S. and International students should use these rankings as a guide.
Rankings can be a helpful initial tool for identifying potential programs and understanding some aspects of career outcomes. However, don’t consider the rankings as the sole determinant in your decision-making process.
Ultimately, a comprehensive graduate school search should extend beyond numerical ranks and incorporate a thorough investigation of individual programs to find the best fit for each student’s unique needs and aspirations.
Want to discover the latest MBA rankings? Take a look at the MBA Rankings page.
