These are the best MBAs in the world – including 2 from South Africa

The Wharton School and Stanford share the top spot in the latest QS World University Rankings: Global Full-Time MBA 2020 with near-perfect reputation scores from employers.

The list also includes two institutions from South Africa: the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

Nearly half of the top 100 MBA providers are based in the US, including seven of the top 10. However, the likes of INSEAD, London Business School, and HEC Paris also feature prominently.

The UK has 10 top-100 MBA programs, while France has six, with two among the top 10.

INSEAD (3rd) which has a campus in Singapore, is named the best program in Asia, followed by Shanghai’s CEIBS (25th) and the National University of Singapore (32nd) while the University of Melbourne (26th) leads in Australia.

The QS ranking seeks to measure what matters most to prospective students.

A total of 13 criteria form the basis of five key indicators that programs were ranked on: ‘employability’, ‘entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes’, ‘return on investment’, ‘thought leadership’ and ‘class & faculty diversity’.

The methodology is weighted in the following manner:

• Employability – 40%
• Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes – 15%
• Return on Investment – 20%
• Thought Leadership – 15%
• Class & Faculty Diversity – 10%

For South Africa’s representative institutions, the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business costs R260,000, has a class size of 45, and an average student age of 32.

According to QS, 70% of students are employed within three months, and an average salary of $44,955 (R684,000).

Tuition for the University of Stellenbosch Business School is R351,025, while a class size is 32 students, at an average age of 32.

QS Global MBA Rankings

Read: These 2 South African executive MBAs are among the top 50 in the world