Top 3 IIMs slip, remain in global top 100: QS MBA Rankings 2027

United States dominates the top of the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027, with the four highest-ranked programmes in the world. MIT Sloan has taken the number one position for the first time, followed by Harvard Business School.

The three Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the global top 100 of the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027 have slipped from their positions last year, with IIM Calcutta recording the sharpest decline. IIM Bangalore, the highest-ranked Indian institute, fell to 64th from 52nd, while IIM Ahmedabad dropped to 70th from 58th. IIM Calcutta slipped to 95th from 64th.

While the three IIMs remain in the global top 100, QS said Indian business schools faced stronger competition from global peers, particularly in Return on Investment, Entrepreneurship & Alumni Outcomes, and Diversity. At the same time, 10 Indian entries improved their performance on the Thought Leadership lens, according to QS.

Overall, 19 Indian institutions feature in the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027, up from seven in 2022 and five in 2020. Five Indian institutions have entered the ranking for the first time this year. Across the MBA and specialised Business Master’s rankings, 28 Indian institutions feature, making India the fourth most represented country after the US, UK and France.

IIM Bangalore continues to be India’s highest-ranked MBA provider for the fourth consecutive year. It retained its 29th position globally for employability and was ranked second in Asia on this indicator. The institute also improved slightly in the Thought Leadership category, ranking 51st globally.

IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta also remain among the world’s top 100. Both rank in the top 40 globally for employability and the top 100 for Thought Leadership. IIM Ahmedabad is also the only Indian entry in the top 100 for Entrepreneurship & Alumni Outcomes, where it ranks 84th.

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is the highest-ranked new Indian entrant, placed in the 171-180 band. Other new entrants are Jaipuria Institute of Management, School of Business and Management, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), School of Leadership and Management, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, and Vikrant University Gwalior. These institutions appear in the 301+ range.

Woxsen School of Business, ranked in the 251-300 band globally, recorded the strongest Indian performance on the Diversity lens. It ranks first in Asia and 33rd globally for diversity.

The United States dominates the top of the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027, with the four highest-ranked programmes in the world. MIT Sloan has taken the number one position for the first time, followed by Harvard Business School at second, Stanford Graduate School of Business at third and Penn (Wharton) at fourth.

MIT Sloan moved up from third last year to first, while Penn Wharton, which topped the 2026 ranking, slipped to fourth. Harvard retained its second position, and Stanford improved from fourth to third.

Asia’s highest-ranked MBA provider is the National University of Singapore Business School, which retained 23rd place globally. Tsinghua University is second in Asia and 29th globally, followed by Singapore Management University at 41st. IIM Bangalore and IIM Ahmedabad are the eighth- and ninth-highest ranked MBA institutions in Asia.

The QS 2027 ranking covers more than 420 MBA programmes across 65 countries and territories. It assesses programmes across five broad areas — employability, value for money, alumni outcomes, thought leadership and diversity. Employability carries the highest weight at 40%, followed by value for money at 20%, alumni outcomes and thought leadership at 15% each, and diversity at 10%.

In the specialised Business Master’s rankings, 41 Indian entries feature across management, business analytics, finance, marketing and supply chain management. IIM Bangalore ranks 31st globally for Master’s in Management and 60th for Business Analytics, while IIM Ahmedabad ranks 46th for Management. IIM Calcutta ranks 57th for Management and 96th for Business Analytics.

Globally, HEC Paris leads the Master’s in Management, Finance and Marketing rankings. MIT Sloan tops Business Analytics, while the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics is ranked first for Supply Chain Management.