Top business schools

The recently released QS World University Rankings by Subject featured 580 of the top institutions to study business and business management. 

The subject rankings are based on four indicators: academic and employer reputations, citations per paper and H-index citations (a way of measuring the productivity and published work of a scientist or scholar). You can find more details about the methodology behind the subject rankings here. 

Read on as we discover the top business schools in each region. Alternatively, if you would like to see the full business subject rankings, click here to view the full list. 

QS World University Rankings by Subject – Top universities to study business
Rank	University	Location
1	Harvard University	United States
2	INSEAD	France
3	London Business School	United Kingdom
4	Stanford University	United States
5	Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT	United States
6	University of Pennsylvania	United States
7	Bocconi University	Italy
8	University of Cambridge	United Kingdom
9	University of Oxford	United Kingdom
10	HEC Paris School of Management	France

Top business schools in the US and Canada

There are 102 business schools in the US this year. Four of the US’ business schools are ranked among the top 10 worldwide. The highest-ranked of these is Harvard – retaining the title of the best business school in the world for an eighth consecutive year. Harvard University earns a perfect score for employer reputation. The school has a strong alumni network, and its business school graduates are estimated to earn a median base salary of US$150,000. 

There are 21 Canadian business schools in this year’s rankings with two universities making it into the global top 50: University of Toronto (29th), University of British Columbia (39th). Both schools earn high scores in the H-index citations indicator, suggesting the productivity and impact of the faculty. 

Top business schools in Europe

Europe is the best represented region in the business school rankings, with 220 schools ranked including six in the global top 10.  

INSEAD is ranked as the best business school in Europe for the fifth year running: one of France’s 17 institutions featured this year. An international business school, INSEAD has campuses in France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco. It earned a perfect score in academic reputation this year with the course placing a huge focus on diversity. 

London Business School is once again the UK’s best institution, ranking third. It is one of 62 UK business schools in the rankings this year, seven of which are in the top 50. Other notable business schools in the UK rankings this year are The London School of Economics (11th), The University of Warwick (=21st), Imperial College London (=25th), and The University of Manchester  (=32nd). 

In Spain, the rankings have stayed consistent with previous years, with Universitat Ramon Llull being labelled the best in the country again, ranking 17th in the world again. Other universities in the top 200 are University of Navarra (23rd), IE University (=25th) and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (=132nd). 

Copenhagen Business School (14th) is one of Denmark’s five universities featured this year. The Netherlands Erasmus University Rotterdam (18th) ranks the highest among its 11 universities, three of which are in the global top 100 for business. 

Other notable European universities in the top 50 are Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen (31st) and Austria’s WU Vienna University of Economics and Business (=36th). 

Top business schools in Asia

There are 147 Asian business schools in the rankings this year, including 11 in the global top 50. 

The highest-ranked school in Asia is the National University of Singapore in 13th place globally. NUS earns a high score for H-index citations this year. It has advocated for the value of transparency, making its student feedback forms open to the entire community in order to continuously improve their teaching standards. 

The two other Singaporean schools also made it into the top 50: Nanyang Technological University (20th) and Singapore Management University (=36th). 

Mainland China is the best represented study destination in Asia for business schools, with 17 institutions in the rankings. Three of these are in the global top 50:  Tsinghua University (=41st), Peking University (38th) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (=50th).  

Hong Kong SAR also has a significant presence in the global top 50, with seven business schools featured and their highest-ranked school, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is 24th. HKUST’s business courses cover a wide range of topics, from Chinese business to Asian financial markets to entrepreneurship. 

Three schools in South Korea round out the Asian presence in the global top 50 – Seoul National University in joint 39th, Korea University in joint 48th and Yonsei University in 54th. 

Outside of the top 50, India also contributes significantly to the business subject rankings with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (joint 63rd) and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (65th) both still ranked within the top 100.  

Top business schools in the Middle East

37 Middle Eastern schools feature in the business school rankings with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University topping the rankings at 151-200. This year, Lebanon and Turkey have done well with two and eight entries respectively. Lebanon’s highest-ranking university, American University of Beirut is 151-200, and Turkey’s highest-ranked universities, Koç University and Bilkent University, are both 201-250. 

Another Middle Eastern country which also has a highly-ranked business school is Pakistan with the Lahore University of Management Sciences also ranked 151-200. 

In the United Arab Emirates, the American University of Sharjar ranked 201-250. 

Top business schools in Australia and New Zealand

There are 22 business schools from Australia and seven from New Zealand in this year’s rankings. 

Australia’s highest-ranked programme can be found at The University of Melbourne which ranks joint 34th globally. The University of Melbourne prepares graduates for a successful career in business, combining theoretical teaching with real life studies and even offering industry integration programmes. 

Other Australian schools in the global top 100 are The University of New South Wales (44th), The University of Sydney (47th), Monash University (52nd), The University of Queensland (joint 76th) and Australian National University (joint 83rd). 

New Zealand has no business schools in the global top 50, but their highest-ranked school, The University of Auckland (joint 105th), scores highly in the H-index citations indicator. It is home to 10 research and engagement centres, including the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.  

Top business schools in Latin America

There are 43 Latin American business schools featured in the rankings this year. 

Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey (30th) is the highest-ranked university in Latin America this year, earning a particularly high score for employer reputation. Mexico has a total of 10 universities in the ranking this year, three of which are in the top 200. 

Colombia is the most well-represented Latin American country with 11 business schools in the rankings. One of these ranks in the top 100, Universidad de los Andes (91st), scoring highly in the citations per paper indicator. 

Brazil’s seven entries this year include Universidade de São Paulo (joint 97th). It has quickly achieved a leading role in many different fields as a research centre and is responsible for around 20 percent of all Brazilian academic output, earning a high score for H-index citations. 

Three world-class business schools are found in Argentina this year: Universidad de Buenos Aires (151-200), Universidad Austral (251-300) and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (351-400). Peru has three entries this year whereas Chile has seven. Its highest-ranked university, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (58th), is the only institution that ranks within the top 100, just falling short of the title of the best business school in Latin America. 

Top business schools in Africa

There are five African universities in the business school rankings with two institutions in Egypt and three in South Africa. 

The highest-ranked university on the continent is The American University in Cairo, (201-250). The business course in the American University in Cairo prepares students for a career in business, embedding real-world industry experience throughout the curriculum. 

South Africa’s top-ranked university, the University of Cape Town, is 301-350 in the world.