Schools · Top 10
Top 10 Business Schools (MBA) in 2027
Direct answer
Stanford Graduate School of Business is the top full-time MBA program, #1 in the U.S. News 2026 ranking, with Wharton at #2 and Chicago Booth at #3. Our order follows that U.S. News rank; Harvard Business School is the best value, at 2.18 dollars of median base salary per $1 of tuition.
At a glance
| # | Pick | Median base salary (Class of 2025) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford Graduate School of Business | $185,000 (mean $190,109), median signing bonus $30,000 | Applicants who want the top U.S. News rank with one of the two highest median base salaries |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania Wharton School | $185,000 (25th percentile $165,000, 75th percentile $192,000), median sign-on bonus $30,000 | Applicants who want a $185,000 median base with the third-best value ratio on the list |
| 3 | Chicago Booth School of Business | $175,000, median sign-on bonus $30,000 | Applicants who want a top-three U.S. News school with a published 89.1 percent offer rate |
| 4 | Harvard Business School | $184,500, median signing bonus $30,000 (58% receiving) | Applicants who want the lowest tuition on the list with a $184,500 median base |
| 5 | Northwestern Kellogg School of Management | $175,000 for U.S. positions (94% of accepted offers) | Applicants who want a consulting-heavy class (38% of accepted offers) |
| 6 | MIT Sloan School of Management | $175,000 (mean $173,132), median signing bonus $30,000 | Applicants who want consulting (32.3%) and technology (23.3%) hiring side by side |
| 7 | NYU Stern School of Business | $175,000, average total compensation $202,705 | Applicants who want the highest median GMAT in the U.S. News table (750) and a published 99.4% internship rate |
| 8 | Columbia Business School | $175,000 (high $450,000), median signing bonus $30,000 received by 68.9% | Applicants who want a $175,000 median base and a 740 median GMAT in the U.S. News table |
| 9 | Dartmouth Tuck School of Business | $175K, median sign-on bonus $30K | Applicants who want a small class (292 graduates) |
| 10 | UC Berkeley Haas School of Business | $167,250 (mean $164,930), 75% received a sign-on bonus | California residents, who pay $80,510 against $92,755 for non-residents |
Pick by what you want
Best overall
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Best value (salary per $1 of tuition)
Harvard Business School
Highest median base salary (tied)
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
Best public-university option
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Highest median GMAT in the table
NYU Stern School of Business
The ranking
1
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Answrs VerdictThe #1 U.S. News rank and a $185,000 median base.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $185,000 (mean $190,109), median signing bonus $30,000Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $89,187 (tuition only; the page lists the health fee separately)U.S. News 2026 rank: #1, admit rate 6.81%, median GMAT 745Class size: 426 graduates in the Class of 2025, 268 seeking employmentSalary per $1 of tuition: 2.07 (median base $185,000 divided by tuition $89,187)
Stanford is #1 in the U.S. News 2026 ranking with a 6.81% admit rate and a 745 median GMAT. Its Class of 2025 median base salary was $185,000, and first-year tuition is $89,187.
Go ifApplicants who want the top U.S. News rank with one of the two highest median base salaries
Skip ifYou want the lowest tuition on the list
Why #1 over #2: Its #1 rank and $185,000 median base edge Wharton’s #2 rank and $185,000 median, which costs $93,008 in tuition and fees.
2
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA $185,000 median base at $93,008 in tuition and fees.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $185,000 (25th percentile $165,000, 75th percentile $192,000), median sign-on bonus $30,000Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $87,970 tuition plus $5,038 in university fees, $93,008 in totalU.S. News 2026 rank: #2, admit rate 18.60%, median GMAT 740Class size: 879 students in the Class of 2025Salary per $1 of tuition: 1.99 (median $185,000 divided by tuition and fees $93,008)
Wharton is #2 in U.S. News with a 740 median GMAT and an 18.60% admit rate. Its Class of 2025 had 879 students and a $185,000 median annual salary, at $87,970 tuition plus $5,038 in fees.
Go ifApplicants who want a $185,000 median base with the third-best value ratio on the list
Skip ifYou want the single lowest tuition
Why #2 over #3: Its $185,000 median base at $93,008 in tuition and fees beats Booth’s $175,000 at $94,720.
3
Chicago Booth School of Business
Answrs VerdictThird in U.S. News with 89.1 percent offers in three months.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175,000, median sign-on bonus $30,000Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $89,976 tuition plus a $1,560 student services fee, a $3,100 first-year administrative fee and an $84 transcript fee, $94,720 in total (MBA Class of 2028)U.S. News 2026 rank: #3, admit rate 27.30%, median GMAT 740Job offers within three months: 89.1 percent of 2025 graduatesSalary per $1 of tuition: 1.85 (median $175,000 divided by tuition and fees $94,720)
Booth is #3, with a 27.30% admit rate and 740 median GMAT. Its 2025 graduates saw a $175,000 median base salary and 89.1 percent landed job offers within three months.
Go ifApplicants who want a top-three U.S. News school with a published 89.1 percent offer rate
Skip ifYou want the highest median base salary
Why #3 over #4: Its #3 rank puts it ahead of Harvard Business School at #4, although Harvard’s median base is $184,500.
4
Harvard Business School
Answrs VerdictThe best value on the list at 2.18.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $184,500, median signing bonus $30,000 (58% receiving)Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $84,760 (tuition only; the page lists the health fee and insurance as separate budget lines)U.S. News 2026 rank: #4 (tied with Kellogg), admit rate 11.16%, median GMAT 730, average starting salary and bonus $197,890Class size: 943 students in the MBA Class of 2027Salary per $1 of tuition: 2.18 (median base $184,500 divided by tuition $84,760)
Harvard Business School is #4, tied with Kellogg, with an 11.16% admit rate. The Class of 2025 median base was $184,500, and tuition is $84,760, the lowest on the list, which makes its salary-per-tuition ratio 2.18.
Go ifApplicants who want the lowest tuition on the list with a $184,500 median base
Skip ifYou need the very top U.S. News rank
Why #4 over #5: It wins the tie with Kellogg on the U.S. News average starting salary and bonus: $197,890 against $197,394.
5
Northwestern Kellogg School of Management
Photo: Joseph Gage / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 38% consulting share and $175,000 median base.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175,000 for U.S. positions (94% of accepted offers)Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $88,536 for the two-year MBA (tuition only; the page lists fees such as the $2,000 first-year fee as separate expenses)U.S. News 2026 rank: #4 (tied with Harvard), admit rate 28.06%, median GMAT 730, average starting salary and bonus $197,394Consulting share: 38% of accepted offers, median base salary $190,000Salary per $1 of tuition: 1.98 (median $175,000 divided by tuition $88,536)
Kellogg is also #4 in U.S. News and sits fifth after the tie-break. Its median base for U.S. positions was $175,000, with consulting at 38% of accepted offers and a $190,000 consulting median. Tuition is $88,536.
Go ifApplicants who want a consulting-heavy class (38% of accepted offers)
Skip ifYou want the lowest tuition
Why #5 over #6: Its #4 rank puts it ahead of MIT Sloan’s #6, and its $175,000 median matches Sloan’s.
6
MIT Sloan School of Management
Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictConsulting 32.3% and technology 23.3% of the class.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175,000 (mean $173,132), median signing bonus $30,000Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $91,892, including a $2,200 program feeU.S. News 2026 rank: #6, admit rate 18.75%, median GMAT 720Class size: 396 graduates in the Class of 2025, 256 sought employmentSalary per $1 of tuition: 1.90 (median $175,000 divided by tuition $91,892)
MIT Sloan is #6 with a 720 median GMAT and an 18.75% admit rate. Its Class of 2025 had 396 graduates, a $175,000 median base salary and consulting (32.3%) and technology (23.3%) as top industries.
Go ifApplicants who want consulting (32.3%) and technology (23.3%) hiring side by side
Skip ifYou want a lower sticker tuition
Why #6 over #7: Its #6 rank puts it ahead of NYU Stern, which is #7 with the same $175,000 median.
7
NYU Stern School of Business
Answrs VerdictA median GMAT of 750 in the U.S. News table.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175,000, average total compensation $202,705Tuition (first year, 2026-27): $92,658 tuition plus a $2,040 orientation fee, $94,698 in totalU.S. News 2026 rank: #7 (tied with Columbia), admit rate 23.56%, median GMAT 750, average starting salary and bonus $201,106Summer internships: 99.4% of the Class of 2026 who were seeking one secured oneSalary per $1 of tuition: 1.85 (median $175,000 divided by tuition and fees $94,698)
NYU Stern is #7, tied with Columbia, and has the highest median GMAT in the U.S. News table at 750. Its Class of 2025 median salary was $175,000, with average total compensation of $202,705. Tuition is $92,658 plus a $2,040 orientation fee.
Go ifApplicants who want the highest median GMAT in the U.S. News table (750) and a published 99.4% internship rate
Skip ifYou want the lowest tuition on the list
Why #7 over #8: It wins the tie with Columbia on the U.S. News average starting salary and bonus: $201,106 against $195,404.
8
Columbia Business School
Photo: Urban, retouched by AlMare, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Low_Memorial_Library_Columbia_University_NYC_retouched.jpg
Answrs VerdictA 740 median GMAT and $175,000 median base.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175,000 (high $450,000), median signing bonus $30,000 received by 68.9%Tuition (first year, 2026-27): Not read: the school’s site blocked automated accessU.S. News 2026 rank: #7 (tied with NYU Stern), admit rate 25.72%, median GMAT 740, average starting salary and bonus $195,404Best-value ratio: Not calculated, because tuition could not be read
Columbia is #7 in U.S. News, tied with NYU Stern, with a 25.72% admit rate and 740 median GMAT. Its page lists a $175,000 median base salary, a $30,000 median signing bonus and a high of $450,000. We could not read its tuition.
Go ifApplicants who want a $175,000 median base and a 740 median GMAT in the U.S. News table
Skip ifYou need us to confirm tuition: we could not read it
Why #8 over #9: Its #7 rank puts it ahead of Tuck’s #9 and its $175,000 median matches Tuck’s $175K.
9
Dartmouth Tuck School of Business
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 292-graduate class at $93,686 in tuition and fees.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $175K, median sign-on bonus $30KTuition (first year, 2026-27): $87,536 tuition plus a $6,150 program fee, $93,686 in totalU.S. News 2026 rank: #9, admit rate 28.28%, no median GMAT listedClass size: 292 graduates in the Class of 2025, 268 seeking employmentSalary per $1 of tuition: 1.87 (median $175,000 divided by tuition and fees $93,686)
Tuck is #9 in U.S. News with a 28.28% admit rate. Its Class of 2025 had 292 graduates and a $175K median base. Tuition is $87,536 plus a $6,150 program fee.
Go ifApplicants who want a small class (292 graduates)
Skip ifYou want a big-city campus
Why #9 over #10: Its #9 rank puts it ahead of Haas at #10, and its $175K median is above Haas’s $167,250.
10
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Photo: BrokenSphere / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe public option, with a $167,250 median base.
Median base salary (Class of 2025): $167,250 (mean $164,930), 75% received a sign-on bonusTuition (first year, 2026-27): Tuition and fees $92,755 for non-residents, $80,510 for California residents (estimates)U.S. News 2026 rank: #10, admit rate 21.44%, no median GMAT listedClass size: 229 students in the Class of 2025, 182 looking for jobsSalary per $1 of tuition: 1.80 (median $167,250 divided by non-resident tuition and fees $92,755; with the California-resident rate of $80,510 it is 2.08)
Haas is #10 in U.S. News with a 21.44% admit rate. Its Class of 2025 had 229 students and a $167,250 median base. Tuition and fees are $92,755 for non-residents or $80,510 for California residents.
Go ifCalifornia residents, who pay $80,510 against $92,755 for non-residents
Skip ifYou want the highest median base salary
How we ranked these
We follow the U.S. News 2026 Best Business Schools full-time MBA rank, published April 2026 and read as reported by Poets&Quants. Ties are broken by the average starting salary and bonus in the same table (Harvard over Kellogg at #4, NYU Stern over Columbia at #7). The median base salary of each school comes from its own Class of 2025 employment report or career-statistics page, all for the same class year. Best value is the median base salary divided by the school’s published first-year 2026-27 tuition plus the required school fees its page lists with tuition. Stanford, Harvard and Kellogg pages show tuition only, so their ratios use tuition alone; Haas uses its non-resident tuition-and-fees rate, and Columbia is not rated because its tuition could not be read. Kellogg’s median base salary is for U.S. positions (94% of accepted offers). Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best business school for an MBA in 2027?
Stanford Graduate School of Business, #1 in the U.S. News 2026 full-time MBA ranking, ahead of Wharton at #2 and Chicago Booth at #3. Stanford’s Class of 2025 median base salary was $185,000.
Which top MBA program is the best value?
Harvard Business School, at 2.18 dollars of median base salary ($184,500) per $1 of tuition ($84,760, tuition only), ahead of Stanford at 2.07 and Wharton at 1.99. Columbia is not rated because we could not read its tuition.
Which MBA program has the highest median base salary?
Stanford and Wharton tie at $185,000 for the Class of 2025, with Harvard Business School at $184,500. Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Columbia and Tuck report $175,000.
Which top MBA program is hardest to get into?
Stanford has the lowest admit rate in the U.S. News 2026 table at 6.81%, followed by Harvard Business School at 11.16%.
Median base salary, Class of 2025 (USD) at a glance
Dartmouth Tuck School of Business175 USD
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business167,250 USD
Chicago Booth School of Business175,000 USD
Northwestern Kellogg School of Management175,000 USD
MIT Sloan School of Management175,000 USD
NYU Stern School of Business175,000 USD
Columbia Business School175,000 USD
Harvard Business School184,500 USD
Stanford Graduate School of Business185,000 USD
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School185,000 USD
Official sites
- Stanford Graduate School of Business · gsb.stanford.edu
- University of Pennsylvania Wharton School · mba.wharton.upenn.edu
- Chicago Booth School of Business · chicagobooth.edu
- Harvard Business School · hbs.edu
- Northwestern Kellogg School of Management · kellogg.northwestern.edu
- MIT Sloan School of Management · mitsloan.mit.edu
- NYU Stern School of Business · stern.nyu.edu
- Columbia Business School · business.columbia.edu
- Dartmouth Tuck School of Business · tuck.dartmouth.edu
- UC Berkeley Haas School of Business · mba.haas.berkeley.edu
Sources
- poetsandquants.com
- gsb.stanford.edu
- gsb.stanford.edu
- statistics.mbacareers.wharton.upenn.edu
- mba.wharton.upenn.edu
- chicagobooth.edu
- chicagobooth.edu
- hbs.edu
- hbs.edu
- hbs.edu
- kellogg.northwestern.edu
- kellogg.northwestern.edu
- mitsloan.mit.edu
- mitsloan.mit.edu
- stern.nyu.edu
- stern.nyu.edu
- business.columbia.edu
- business.columbia.edu
- tuck.dartmouth.edu
- tuck.dartmouth.edu
- mba.haas.berkeley.edu
- haas.berkeley.edu
Prices, specs and availability change; confirm on the official site before you buy.