US News & World Report has released its annual business school rankings for 2017, and there are a few surprising changes to the rankings from the previous year. Students who follow business school news will understand that the US News rankings are seen as a standard of measurement across the world, and although their methodology has some flaws, this is the list more prospective students pay attention to around the world than any other.
| School | GMAT | GPA | Accept Rate | Pay | Jobs at Grad | Jobs Later |
| 1. Harvard | 729 | 3.67 | 10.70% | $153,830 | 79.30% | 90.60% |
| 1. Wharton | 730 | 3.6 | 19.60% | $155,058 | 85.80% | 95.50% |
| 3. Booth | 726 | 3.58 | 23.60% | $147,475 | 84.90% | 95.20% |
| 4. Kellogg | 728 | 3.6 | 20.10% | $141,694 | 82.80% | 95.00% |
| 4. MIT | 724 | 3.58 | 11.70% | $143,565 | 81.20% | 92.50% |
| 4. Stanford | 737 | 3.73 | 6.00% | $153,553 | 62.80% | 82.40% |
| 7. Haas | 717 | 3.64 | 12.00% | $140,067 | 68.60% | 89.70% |
| 8. Tuck | 717 | 3.53 | 22.40% | $148,997 | 86.80% | 95.60% |
| 9. Yale | 725 | 3.63 | 19.00% | $135,988 | 76.00% | 89.90% |
| 9. Columbia | 720 | 3.5 | 14.10% | $150,229 | 77.30% | 92.30% |
| 11. Michigan (Ross) | 708 | 3.44 | 26.30% | $145,926 | 85.60% | 91.80% |
| 12. Duke (Fuqua) | 695 | 3.47 | 22.10% | $144,799 | 83.10% | 91.60% |
| 12. NYU (Stern) | 710 | 3.51 | 23.10% | $145,413 | 82.10% | 91.80% |
| 14. Virginia (Darden) | 712 | 3.5 | 26.50% | $150,823 | 80.70% | 90.20% |
| 15. UCLA (Anderson) | 715 | 3.52 | 20.70% | $140,457 | 73.80% | 87.70% |
| 16. Cornell (Johnson) | 700 | 3.37 | 27.60% | $146,252 | 79.80% | 90.10% |
| 17. Texas (McCombs) | 699 | 3.42 | 28.00% | $135,194 | 77.50% | 89.20% |
| 18. UNC (Kenan-Flagler) | 700 | 3.37 | 36.40% | $131,908 | 75.10% | 90.40% |
| 19. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) | 686 | 3.3 | 30.30% | $140,289 | 76.00% | 85.20% |
| 20. Emory (Goizueta) | 683 | 3.3 | 33.10% | $138,864 | 84.00% | 93.10% |
| 21. Georgetown (McDonough) | 692/td> | 3.4 | 44.60% | $124,417 | 69.10% | 90.30% |
| 21. Indiana (Kelley) | 670 | 3.34 | 31.40% | $128,637 | 83.90% | 94.00% |
| 21. Washington Univ. (Olin) | 688 | 3.46 | 29.70% | $115,830 | 78.50% | 96.30% |
| 24. USC (Marshall) | 692 | 3.37 | 33.30% | $126,934 | 75.20% | 91.50% |
| 25. Arizona State (W. P. Carey) | 682 | 3.54 | 14.30% | $116,575 | 78.70% | 95.10% |
| 25. Vanderbilt (Owen) | 691 | 3.4 | 45.50% | $129,587 | 80.30% | 90.10% |
Source: Poets&Quants
Biggest Surprises
A big winner was Wharton, which rose three spots to tie for the #1 with Harvard Business School. Booth stayed steady at #3. Kellogg and MIT Sloan both rose a spot to #4, and Stanford dropped 2 spots to occupy a three-way tie for #4 with Kellogg and MIT Sloan.
This is the second time in 28 years that Wharton has tied for first with HBS, though Wharton’s rise to #1 and Stanford’s drop to #4 both have a lot to do with ranking methodology.
Just over 10% of recent graduates failed to report employment outcomes coming out of Wharton, compared with 98% – 100% response rates from peer schools. Some have speculated that the students failing to report are likely to be those who are still seeking employment.
Stanford GSB, while remaining the most competitive school in the nation, dropped to #4 largely as a function of the mindset of graduating students.
Is Stanford’s Drop Legitimate?
According to Poets & Quants:
“Stanford’s fall is largely a result of the self-confidence of its MBA graduates who wait longer than peers at other schools to accept their job offers. Only 62.8% of its MBAs were employed by graduation, compared to 85.8% at Wharton, mainly because fewer students are pursuing jobs with mainstream MBA employers, preferring startups and early-stage companies that hire just in time.”
Stanford students are highly encouraged to wait for the “right” job opportunity, or an opportunity where they can create an outsized impact in the world, and as such are more likely to wait for a longer period of time before accepting an offer they feel is the right fit for their talents and interests.
Additional surprises & opportunities
An example of a school that rose as a result of major changes and innovations is Arizona State University’s Carey School of Business, rising 10 spots in a single year to 25th place. The school made a strategic decision to offer a full scholarship to all admits, and as a result saw the pool of highly talented applicants rise dramatically.
Carey’s acceptance rate fell to just 14.3%, lower than Wharton’s 19.6% or Kellogg’s 20.1%. Its average GMAT score jumped ten points to 682, just a point below Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, while the average GPA rose to 3.54.
Notable falls from grace for the year include: The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management fell three places to finish 14th and 25th, respectively. Iowa’s Tippie School of Business fell a whopping 19 points to finish at 64th place, down from 45th last year.
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