South African universities ranked among the best business schools in the world – including one in the top 100

The University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) has been ranked among the top 100 MBA schools in the world in the latest QS Quacquarelli Symonds global rankings.

The university is one of only two South African universities to make the ranking in 2025, with the Wits Business School being the other, ranking between 141 and 150 in the full list.

QS published its latest ranking identifying the world’s top study destinations for aspiring business leaders.

The QS Global MBA and Business Master’s Rankings 2025 spans 58 countries and territories, analysing the world’s 340 best global MBAs and a series of specialised high-demand Business Master’s Rankings, including Master’s in Management, Finance, Marketing, Business Analytics, and Supply Chain Management.

The United States continues to dominate the upper echelon of the MBA table, with US business schools occupying all three top spots.

For the fifth consecutive year, Stanford GSB’s MBA is named the world’s number one while The Wharton School remains second, followed by Harvard Business School in third.

Full-time MBAs – Top 15 and South Africa

“Stanford GSB’s superiority is underpinned by the world’s best Alumni Outcomes alongside exceptional Graduate Employability,” QS said.

Asia’s best MBA provider is the National University of Singapore Business School, which ranks 25th, globally. It performs excellently in QS’ Employability indicator, where it achieves Asia’s highest score.

It is also among the region’s top performers in Alumni Outcomes and Thought Leadership.

In Canada, Toronto (Rotman) remains the highest-ranked MBA, placing 39th globally and the only Canadian business school in the world’s top 50. It is the national leader for Employability, Thought Leadership, and Diversity.

China’s highest-ranked full-time MBA program is offered by Tsinghua University, which places 29th. It is Asia’s second highest-ranked MBA due to its Thought Leadership, Employability, and Return on Investment.

Another top 100

While the Wits Business School missed out on the top 100 in the full-time global MBA ranking, it did feature in the ranking of best specialised business master’s degrees.

QS ranked the best specialised master’s degrees for five different fields, including Management, Marketing, Business Analytics, Supply Chain Management and Finance.

South Africa only features in the ranking for Master’s in Management, with Wits Business School coming in at 77th overall.

Looking at the specialist rankings, HEC Paris topped the global rankings for two master’s programs, including Master’s in Management, and Master’s in Marketing.

Oxford (Said) tops the table in Master’s in Finance, in which it is the world leader in Employability, Alumni Outcomes and Thought Leadership.

MIT Sloan provides the world’s foremost Master in Business Analytics, boasting world-class Alumni Outcomes and Employability.

The global leader for Master’s in Supply Chain Management is Michigan (Ross). It enjoys excellent Employability, Alumni Outcomes and Value for Money.

Master’s in Management – Top 10 and South Africa

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