Global Business School Rankings 2025

In a world that’s constantly evolving, young minds are no longer forced to choose a certain career path because with changes in the fields of education, business, technology, there has also been a shift in people’s mindsets. We see these as real-world examples as lately young minds are venturing into entrepreneurship by setting up small businesses at a very young age and no longer follow the traditional way into career paths. The Indian Government through the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been constantly promoting entrepreneurship among women, marginalized communities, and lower socio-economic groups through their various institutes.

Additionally, the Indian government is also providing students with the support they need to start their businesses at a young age through schemes like Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), National Innovation and Startup Policy (NISP), Atal Innovation Mission(AIM) among other schemes. In the international market, the US also offers various programs to support student entrepreneurs with certain states offering grants to students to build their own startups. A major shift in business education lately has been sustainability and social impact. Institutions like IIM Bangalore, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Wharton and Columbia Business School course are including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into the curriculum. The rise of online learning too has made education in the field of business more accessible in every corner of the world from top renowned institutes that partner with online learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, edX, Khan Academy, etc.

While looking at campuses globally many universities are expanding by opening more campuses in different parts of the world. This gives students the opportunity to learn from international universities and also helps them gain multicultural experience. As per reports, in 2023 India had the highest number of universities, almost 5,350 universities in the world, followed by Indonesia and the United States which is considered to have one of the largest education systems globally. Several universities have established global campuses for example Nottingham University has branches in China and Malaysia. New York University has branches in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. University of Lancaster has partnered with two universities in India. In August 2025, the University of Southampton will become the first foreign university to set up its offshore campus in India’s Gurugram region under the New Education Policy. Whereas other universities like the Queen’s university, Lincoln University have also planned to expand their reach in India. This expansion of global campuses not only helps improve students’ education but also benefits greatly to the economy of a country by attracting diverse talent, forming worldwide connections, creating more employment opportunities and increasing revenues.   

In a 2024 survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) reports state that over 80% of MBA applicants are lately prioritizing programs that integrate technology and data analytics into their curriculums. With AI coming into the picture and rapid advancements in this space, globally there have been businesses competing with one another. In 2025 DeepSeekAI took over its major competitor ChatGPT in the AI field and is expected to grow to USD$25 million in 2034. It is said that India’s Bangalore City will soon be seen as the first hub for development of its own AI model and India will see the development of a LLM through IndiaAI Compute Facility that would help in the development of linguistic, economic and social needs of the nation.

Today, India is considered to be one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It is expected to reach US$350 billion in the next year. The education sector too has seen several changes. For example the Indian government is constantly introducing new policies for education sectors, emphasizing on digital education and AI driven models for learning. Although this comes as a challenge to the educators, it ensures that students are equipped with the latest skills and needs. Moreover, companies too are increasingly focusing on sustainability and plant-based products, encouraging future generations to follow eco-friendly practices. There has been a significant rise in the number of startups that are offering sustainable and vegan based products in the market, contributing to higher revenues. 

These changes in the global market are leading to high competition, new innovations and a more open space for young entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to new heights. This is taking place through initiatives like internship opportunities, providing them with market insights, and exposure to the highs and lows of the markets. These advancements are shaping the future young minds to thrive and grow and adapt to the evolving business marketplace. So are globally universities really bringing out the best in students and which colleges are ranking top in the business world, let’s have a look

Analysis:

The Global Business School Rankings 2025 have seen notable shifts compared to the previous years. This year Harvard University has reclaimed the first position after two years, while Stanford University has moved to the second from its third position 2024. London Business school that ranked first in 2024 has dropped to its third position. INSEAD has held its fourth position the same as last year. IE University has also remained in its fifth position similar to last year. The University of Pennsylvania has climbed to the sixth position from its eighth position. MIT college has shown remarkable progress by positioning itself as seventh from its eleventh position in 2024. As for Columbia University this year it has seen a dip by falling down to the eight position compared to its 6th position in 2024 and fourth position in 2023. Dartmouth College has remained in the same position as last year standing ninth in the list. This year HEC Paris has made it to the top ten by standing tenth making great improvements from its twelfth spot in 2024 and sixteenth spot in 2023.

Moving forward, let’s take a look at how Indian Business schools have performed this year. IIM Ahmedabad has lost its spot in the top ten by falling to the eleventh position from its eighth position in 2024. Meanwhile, IIM Calcutta is slowly but steadily progressing by climbing two spots to the thirteenth position from its fifteenth spot last year. In the top 50 rankings, alongside IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta, the Indian Business School has made it to the list by rising above to the 30th spot from its 38th spot in 2024. Whereas SP Jain Management has a long way to go to make it to the top 50 list as it has once again fallen lower to the 58th spot from its 56th spot. Despite India’s growing business sector, rapidly increasing economy, investments of crores in infrastructure, progress in education and development in technology, it is indeed sad to see only three Indian institutions have made it to the top 50. Hopefully, in the near future we see many more Indian universities make India proud by stepping in the game, challenging themselves and securing their spots in the top ten.

Ranking Methodology :

How did we choose institutes?

We chose 1850 institutes across the world after having discussions with students, recruiters and faculty. We also consulted professional organizations such as AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB. Youth Inc’s Research Unit (YRU) also studied domestic rankings in various countries to find the best institutes. 

All the institutes were sent identical surveys. We then contacted current students, alumni as well as local and international recruiters and gathered specific information about the institutes.

Factors considered

1. Recruiter Perception – Identical surveys were sent to recruiters worldwide. The recruiters were asked to rate the institutes that they were most likely to recruit from. The recruiters were also asked to rate the students they have recruited from specific business schools on several criteria including leadership potential and strategic thinking. 

2. Diversity of Students – The institutes were asked to report the total number of students on campus and what percentage of the students were international and speak two or more languages. Gender diversity of the students was also considered.

3. Diversity of Faculty – The institutes were asked to report the total number of faculty on campus and what percentage of the faculty was international, hold a doctorate degree and accredited with their own publishing material. Gender diversity of faculty was also considered. 

4. Innovation of Programs – We considered the different ways to construct degree programs as well as the choice students have in terms of selecting electives.

5. Innovation in Teaching Methodologies – Institutes were asked to select different teaching methodologies that we considered innovative. Some of these included company visits, dual or multiple majors and course collaborations between different departments at the institute. Our list was selected after surveying students across different campuses worldwide. 

6. Value for Money – We considered students and alumni opinions on whether a particular institute was perceived as ‘value for money’. We also asked institutes to state the percentage of students who received some sort of funding from the institutes.

7. Campus Support – We asked the institutes, current students and alumni to select the different types of assistance provided by the student office or a similar body on campus. Our list was selected after surveying students across different campuses worldwide.

8. Career Service – We asked the institutes, current students and alumni about the availability and functioning of a career service cell and how active such a service was for the students. We also considered what percentage of students were actually placed through the institute’s career service cell, how long it took for such placements and what the average starting salaries were.

9. Exchange Programs – Institutes were asked to report the percentage of students that opted for exchange programs. We also considered the exchange students present on the institute’s campus.

10. Student Satisfaction – Current students and alumni were asked to rate their institutes on various factors including career services, attitude of staff and professors, location, and course content. 

Actual Methodology

Institutes were provided a link using which they could send us their completed survey online. They were asked to answer questions relating to full time faculty, career service, student and program information and all the factors listed above.

We contacted current students and alumni of the institutes and asked them to rate specific statements which were pertaining to the factors we considered in this ranking. All the institutes preferred to send the survey links to their students and alumni directly.

Over 16330 recruiters were sent emails with a survey. The recruiter list was prepared from the responses of the institutes and also included internationally well known recruiters. The recruiters were asked to enlist institutes that they were likely to recruit from. 

Below is a summary of the factors and the weightage given to each factor when we ranked the institutes:

Each factor was made up of a set of questions. The total percentage attributed to that factor was based on the average score of the responses multiplied by the assigned weight-age. We then totalled the score from all factors and sorted the scores from highest to lowest. The institute with the highest score was ranked 1^st.

Not just numbers!

After we received the total computed scores for the institutes, we subjectively analyzed the data provided by the institutes, current students, alumni and recruiters. If we found discrepancies in the satisfaction scores and the subjective descriptions, we omitted the data. 

Institutes that did not fill out the survey reports in time

Out of the institutes that were contacted, 151 institutes did not complete the survey on time or did not respond. We used publicly available information on the institutes to include some of them in our ranking. We also contacted current students, alumni and recruiters of these institutes and compared the data we received with the data from institutes that did participate.

Special notes

Masters in Finance – The programs include the pre-experience as well as the post-experience Masters programs. The ranking also includes the programs which are recently established.

Masters in Management – Certain Masters of Management programs with specializations are also included in the ranking.

Masters in Marketing – Combination courses of Marketing with communication and other fields are also included in the ranking.

Online MBA – Certain factors such as Campus Support and Exchange Programs were omitted in the factors considered for the ranking.

Executive MBA – Certain factors such as Campus Support and Exchange Programs were omitted in the factors considered for the ranking.