MBA Rankings: A survey of the rankers

January 25, 2013 by



GMAT BlogAn interesting MBA-centric website operated out of Germany just popped up on my radar: www.mba-compass.com.  It’s a cool site and is more globally bent than most.  A post that people reading this blog might find particularly noteworthy is a survey of the  top five MBA program ranking agencies and how they derive their annual lists.  The agencies include: Financial Times, Bloomberg Business Week,The Economist,U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes.

As we all know, where you get your information matters and this write-up provides us with a unique perspective on how some highly respected information resources compile, aggregate and interpret data in order to provide you with a ranked list of the world’s MBA programs. Usually, the different lists are quite similar—numbers do not necessarily always line up exactly, but their relative positions are not too far off. Even still, and especially when a school’s ranking is notably different from list to list, it is hard not to wonder why there are discrepancies and what is behind them.

Further, each aspirant MBA has differing reasons for pursuing the degree and evaluates potential institutions through their own unique lens. It only makes sense, then, to align oneself with an information resource that best reflects what is important to that individual. Additionally, tapping disparate resources can illuminate facets of an issue perhaps not yet considered. Hence, the value of this distinctive exposé by MBA Compass is derived.

Which is your go-to list of b-school rankings? Does this survey of the rankers uncover any surprises or might it change your top list? Perhaps even your top school? Let us know!

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Lucas WeingartenAbout Lucas Weingarten
Lucas Weingarten teaches students how to beat the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT for Kaplan Test Prep and is proud to have earned “elite instructor” status. Lucas writes extensively for Kaplan’s GMAT blog (http://blog.kaplangmat.com/), and in addition to the GMAT and business school as primary subject matter, he regularly explores topics within higher education, economic systems, sustainability, and current events. Lucas spent his formative years in North Carolina and currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, though he has not yet found the part of the world wherein to bury his roots. He has an MBA with a dual concentration in entrepreneurship and finance from DePaul University in Chicago and is fortunate to have secured an adjunct teaching position there out of the department of management. Family, friends, and a seemingly endless stream of new hobbies keep Lucas busy and happy outside of the classroom. You can reach out any time by email (lucas.weingarten@kaplan.com) or through the comments thread after his blog posts.