The 2026 Best Online Programs rankings are out from U.S. News & World Report, including online MBA programs.
Once again, Indiana University’s Kelley Direct Online MBA program tops the U.S. News online MBA ranking. The top five overall are familiar as well–Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Online Hybrid MBA program and UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA@UNC Online MBA program traded places compared to last year, with Tepper moving back to second place and UNC taking third. The University of Washington Foster Hybrid MBA program laid claim to fourth while the University of Florida Online MBA occupies fifth place.
It’s also noteworthy that, again, we see that schools with top-20 ranked full-time, in-person MBAs tend to perform well in the online space, with the likes of: Indiana / Kelley, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, UNC / Kenan-Flagler, USC / Marshall, Michigan Ross and the University of Washington / Foster holding down six of the top 10 spots.
The top 25 schools in this year’s edition (with prior years’ rankings included where available) are as follows:
| School | 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank | 2024 Rank | 2023 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University–Bloomington | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 (tie) |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 (tie) |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | 3 | 2 | 3 (tie) | 1 (tie) |
| University of Washington | 4 | 4 (tie) | 3 (tie) | 5 (tie) |
| University of Florida | 5 | 4 (tie) | 6 | 4 |
| University of Southern California | 6 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 3 (tie) | 3 |
| University of Arizona | 6 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| Arizona State University | 8 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) |
| University of Kansas | 8 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 9 (tie) | 7 (tie) |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | 10 (tie) | 6 | 16 (tie) | 18 |
| University of Texas–Dallas | 10 (tie) | 11 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 17 |
| Oklahoma State University | 10 (tie) | 11 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 27 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 13 | 11 (tie) | 9 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| Hofstra University | 14 (tie) | 14 (tie) | 29 | |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst | 14 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| University of Iowa | 14 (tie) | 25 (tie) | 29 | |
| University of South Florida | 14 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| University of Utah | 14 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| Ball State University | 14 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium | 14 (tie) | 20 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| Butler University | 21 (tie) | |||
| Florida State University | 21 (tie) | 20 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 44 |
| Texas Tech University | 21 (tie) | 33 (tie) | ||
| Rice University | 21 (tie) | 25 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| Auburn University | 21 (tie) | 25 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
Minor & Major Movement Highlights
While the top 10 looks similar to last year, there has been a bit of shuffling. First, the University of Michigan moved down from #6 to tie in tenth place. Whereas USC and University of Arizona moved up one spot, ASU and the University of Kansas slipped one. Meanwhile, the University of Texas–Dallas and Oklahoma State University cracked the top ten.
Further down the ranking, The Ohio State University gained a whopping 50 spots since last year, landing at #50 with eight other schools. Virginia Tech jumped 22 spots from #55 to #33 and George Washington jumped 22 slots into the shared #33 spot.
A Note on Methodology
As with last year, U.S. News ranked online MBA programs using five categories:
- Engagement (30%): Promotion of participation in courses among students and instructors. Instructors lead an engaging atmosphere, are accessible and responsive.
- Peer Assessment (25%): High-ranking academic officials and employers weigh in through surveys to account for quality beyond statistics.
- Faculty Credentials and Training (15%): Instructors possess academic credentials that mirror those for campus-based programs.
- Student Excellence (15%): The students themselves are accomplished and ambitious. Judicious rewarding of degrees.
- Services and Technologies (15%): Diverse online learning technologies support flexibility for students to take classes from a distance. Learning assistance, career guidance and financial aid resources are offered outside of classes.
See here for more on the methodology behind the ranking.
Visit U.S. News for the full list of their ranking of online MBA programs.
