The Financial Times (FT) has released its rankings of the 100 best Global MiM programs for 2026.
The University of St. Gallen holds the top spot for the 15th year in a row, as there is some shuffling underneath it. The Nova School of Business and Economics and Shanghai Jiao Tong University displaced INSEAD and HEC Paris to claim spots #2 and #3. The two France-based programs still maintain top-5 positions at #4 and #5, respectively. Of note, INSEAD’s first MiM class graduated in 2021 and they entered the FT rankings in 2024.
There are some notable jumps in the top 10 as well. Vlerick Business School moved from #14 last year to #6 in 2026; IESE Business School improved its rank in half from #16 to #8; Rabat Business School cracked the top 10 from #20 in 2025.
As with previous years, the rankings remain densely populated with European schools; France is particularly well represented, with 23 French schools in the top 100. MiM programs in India claim 14 spots while the U.K.-based programs occupy 11.
Clear Admit Co-Founder, Eliot Ingram, notes that “[w]hile the chart is dominated by European programs, there has also been growth in programs located in Asia… This provides more options for recent college graduates to consider, especially those considering a career in Asia.”
Ingram also comments on the lack – continued from last year – of U.S. MiM schools in the rankings. “Only two U.S. MiM programs are ranked in the FT Top 100 MiM programs since 2023–in 2026, it’s Hult International Business School (48) and Georgetown McDonough (92). This is curious given the growing number of high quality U.S.-based Masters in Management.” As with last year, Ingram attributes this to the fact “that most U.S. schools aren’t yet participating in the FT ranking process.”
Ingram adds that the location of a school offers more than rankings may show, encouraging potential MiM applicants to keep these rankings in perspective. “[I]f you have a strong preference to have a career in Europe, it likely makes sense to consider European based MiM schools to gain access to their European based business network.”
The Top 20 Schools
The top 20 schools in this year’s ranking (with last year’s rankings included for reference) are as follows:
| Ranking 2026 | Ranking 2025 | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | University of St. Gallen |
| 2 | 4 (tie) | Nova School of Business and Economics |
| 3 | 6 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Antai |
| 4 | 3 | INSEAD |
| 5 | 2 | HEC Paris |
| 6 (tie) | 7 | ESCP Business School |
| 6 (tie) | 14 (tie) | Vlerick Business School |
| 8 | 16 | IESE Business School |
| 9 | 9 | Stockholm School of Economics |
| 10 | 20 (tie) | Rabat Business School – International University of Rabat |
| 11 | 17 | Prague University of Economics and Business |
| 12 | 12 | EMLyon Business School |
| 13 (tie) | 10 (tie) | Essec Business School |
| 13 (tie) | 18 (tie) | Skema Business School |
| 13 (tie) | n/a | Rotterdam School of Management |
| 16 | 10 (tie) | London Business School |
| 17 (tie) | 14 (tie) | Edhec Business School |
| 17 (tie) | 43 | Paris School of Business |
| 19 | 18 (tie) | WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management |
| 20 | 13 | SDA Bocconi/Università Bocconi |
All but one of the top 20 MiM programs are based in Europe. Eight French business schools make the top-20 section, while the UK’s London Business School drops from 10th to 16th.
Ranking Methodology of the Financial Times 2026 MiM Ranking
In order to be eligible to participate in the ranking process, business school’s MiM programs must be full-time, cohort-based, directed at students with little or no work experience and accredited by either AACSB or EFMD: Equis. In 2026, 132 MiM programs took part in the ranking.
The FT ranks programs using 19 differently-weighted criteria – the highest of which being “weighted salary (US$),” making up 15% of the ranking. Alumni-related criteria contribute together 56 per cent of the ranking. Two surveys were used to collect the information necessary for ranking – one which the business schools completed, and one which alumni (who graduated in 2023) completed. Response rate requirements for alumni surveys are usually 20% and at least 20 surveys must have been completed.
You can read more about the ranking methodology here.
