MBA degrees helping graduates earn over 200,000 USD annually

MIT Sloan School of Management jumps to the number one spot for MBA education, while Harvard alumni lead in salaries with nearly 260,000 USD per year.

The Financial Times (FT) published its latest rankings earlier this week. This year, MIT Sloan School of Management (part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) climbed five places to claim the first position for the first time. Graduates with a master of business administration (MBA) from this institution can expect to earn an average of 246,000 USD annually, making it the third highest salary among the 100 ranked schools.

FT notes that MIT's rise comes as students increasingly prioritize technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), in preparation for significant shifts in the workplace.

In the second position is France's Insead, while last year's top performer, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, US, dropped two places to third position.

With 12 schools, the US has the most representation in the top 30. Asia has only three countries represented: China, Singapore, and India. Similarly, three European countries have schools in the top 30: France, the UK, and Spain.

Regarding salaries, alumni from Harvard Business School lead with an average of 259,800 USD annually, calculated three years post-graduation. Nineteen schools in the top 30 report average salaries above 200,000 USD.

The 30 best MBA programs globally:

No.	School	Country	Average salary three years post-graduation (USD/year)
1	MIT Sloan School of Management	US	246.000
2	Insead	France	217.800
3	Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania	US	247.000
4	IESE Business School	Spain	197.000
4	London Business School	UK	217.000
6	HEC Paris	France	201.000
7	Esade Business School	Spain	206.400
8	China Europe International Business School (Ceibs)	China	202.300
9	Haas School, University of California-Berkeley	US	220.900
10	Harvard Business School, Harvard University	US	259.800
11	Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University	US	219.800
12	Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University	Singapore	194.900
13	Indian School of Business	India	201.700
14	Guanghua School, Peking University	China	177.300
15	Johnson School, Cornell University	US	204.900
16	Fuqua Business School, Duke University	US	210.000
17	Yale School of Management, Yale University	US	209.000
17	Judge Business School, University of Cambridge	UK	197.400
19	Darden School, University of Virginia	US	211.700
20	Booth School, University of Chicago	US	232.000
21	IE Business School	Spain	176.300
22	ESCP Business School	France	142.300
23	Stern School, New York University	US	210.700
24	HKUST Business School	China	172.000
25	Essec Business School	France	139.000
26	Tuck School, Dartmouth University	US	211.100
27	Said School, Oxford University	UK	189.800
28	Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad	India	227.900
29	National University of Singapore Business School	Singapore	181.200
30	School of Management, Fudan University	China	171.100

The ranking is compiled from a survey of alumni who graduated in 2022, accounting for 56% of the score, alongside school data (34%) and research ranking (10%).

Specifically, the Financial Times surveys alumni on their average salary three years post-graduation and the salary increase after completing the MBA program. Data collected from schools assesses the diversity of faculty and students, as well as the effectiveness of the alumni network in assisting recent graduates with job placement.

The research ranking is calculated based on the number of articles by full-time faculty published in 50 international journals, from early 2023 to mid-2025.

The Indian School of Business recorded the highest alumni salary increase post-graduation (248%). The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, ranked highest for research, while Tuck School, Dartmouth University, boasts the strongest alumni network.

FT's ranking is released amidst an intensifying debate regarding the cost and value of an MBA degree. According to the organization's latest data, MBA alumni salaries have generally decreased, after accounting for inflation. Many graduates from leading business schools have also faced difficulties securing employment in the past year.