Top 10 MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship & Alumni Outcomes 2021

The QS Global MBA Rankings 2021 have been released today, ranking over 250 business schools from around the world. The rankings are also split up into regions: Asia, Europe, Canada, Oceania, Latin America, and the US.

MBA programs were ranked based on the indicators of employability, entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and diversity. You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here.

The top 10 business schools for Entrepreneurship & Alumni Outcomes in the Global MBA Rankings 2021 are:

10) INSEAD

• Tuition fees: US$98,009
• Percentage of female students: 35 percent
• Percentage of international students: 91 percent
• Students in class: 536

Kicking off the top 10 for MBA programs with the best entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes for graduates is INSEAD.

The second-highest ranked European program, and sixth in the world, is INSEAD’s MBA program. The program scored the second-highest spot for employability and the highest for thought leadership in Europe. 92 percent of students accepted job offers three months after graduation, noting an average salary of US$105,900.

During the 10-month program, students have the opportunity to study at INSEAD’s three campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Students complete 14 core courses and have a choice from over 75 elective options.

9) Wharton

• Tuition fees: US$162,756
• Percentage of female students: 43 percent
• Percentage of international students: 33 percent
• Students in class: 862

In joint first position for 2020 is The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which achieved the highest score in the rankings for employability. The 21-month program includes a recommended summer internship. Students can choose from 18 majors (including accounting, finance, and marketing), with around 40 percent of students completing their degree with two majors.

8) HEC Paris

• Tuition fees: US$76,434
• Percentage of female students: 34 
• Percentage of international students: 95
• Students in class: 281

Earning first place in Europe for yet another year is the HEC Paris MBA program, which also achieved the highest score – 100 percent – in the European rankings for ROI and scored very highly for the thought leadership and employability.

HEC graduates have been known to enjoy a staggering 152 percent salary increase post-MBA, with students earning a whopping average salary of US$128,206. The 15-month program focuses on developing leadership potential, such as leadership seminars, a student-run MBA multisport tournament and the HEC Global Leaders Series, with influential speakers from the world of business.

7) Columbia Business School

• Tuition fees: US$143,088
• Percentage of female students: 38
• Percentage of international students: 47 
• Students in class: 1022

Columbia Business School’s full-time MBA program is 20 months in total. The institution has a high reputation among top employers, earning its MBA program a high employability score. It similarly scores highly for Return on Investment (ROI) and thought leadership.

The CBS MBA includes over 200 electives, access to over 4,000 graduate-level courses and career-focused concentrations for students to choose from, including accounting, finance and entrepreneurship.

6) London Business School

• Tuition fees: US$104,493
• Percentage of female students: 31
• Percentage of international students: 92 
• Students in class: 497

Landing the top British MBA program in Europe for yet another year is London Business School’s 21-month program which earned the top spot for employability in the European top 10.

London is one of the world’s main financial capitals, with 100 percent of the world's leading financial institutions represented in the city, and three quarters of the top 500 global companies using it as their base. Their employment stats are impressive, with 92 percent of MBA graduates accepting a job offer 3 months after graduation, with average salaries of US$106,837.

5) ESSEC

• Tuition fees: US$50,472
• Percentage of female students: 69
• Percentage of international students: 98
• Students in class: 49

Ranked 27th in the world, ESSEC Business School is an innovation-driven institution that focuses on personalized learning.

ESSEC’s 12-month Global MBA (offering intakes in September) offers three majors: Strategy & Management; Strategy & Digital Leadership; Luxury Brand Management.

16 different nationalities are represented in this year’s MBA cohort. The school received high scores for return on investment, diversity, and entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes. Of the 49 students, 74 percent accepted job offers three months after graduation, with 13 percent starting their own business.

4) Harvard Business School

• Tuition fees: US$146,880
• Percentage of female students: 43
• Percentage of international students: 47 
• Students in class: 938

Narrowly missing a spot in the top three is Harvard Business School – the originator of the MBA. The MBA program received an impressive employability score of 97.2 and 95.9 for thought leadership.

The school produces over 80 percent of business school cases sold globally, which MBA students will read and work on throughout their degree. 88 percent of HBS graduates accept job offers within three months after graduating, with seven percent starting their own business.

3) IE Business School

• Tuition fees: US$79,634
• Percentage of female students: 32
• Percentage of international students: 91 
• Students in class: 598

Madrid’s IE Business School offers an 11-month International MBA program – earning the top spot in Europe for this indicator and diversity in Europe.

IE’s MBA has the ‘Professional Fitness program’ which all MBA students are enrolled on – a fascinating addition. This program features two distinct elements: Career Fitness and Behavioral Fitness. Career Fitness helps you land the job of your dreams through advice and workshops, whereas Behavioral Fitness practices more productive workplace behaviors and enhances leadership skills.

2) MIT Sloan School of Management

• Tuition fees: US$ $141,180
• Percentage of female students: 47 percent
• Percentage of international students: 43 percent
• Students in class: 417

MIT Sloan School of Management’s 24-month program is also ranked third best in the world, earning the highest spot in the world for thought leadership with a near perfect score.

The program focuses on ‘Action Learning’, meaning that students can develop management and leadership skills hands-on, helping companies solve real-life business challenges. The school is well-renowned for its faculty’s research excellence and received a near-perfect score for thought leadership.

1) Stanford Graduate School of Business

• Tuition fees: US$ $141,180
• Percentage of female students: 47 percent
• Percentage of international students: 43 percent
• Students in class: 417

Batting Wharton away from the joint first top spot in the Global MBA Rankings this year is Stanford – which incidentally also earned the highest score for Entrepreneurship & Alumni Outcomes in the world.

Stanford’s MBA program is based around entrepreneurship, with 15 percent of graduates starting their own business shortly after graduation. Throughout their degree, students can customize their curriculum with courses at other Stanford schools, electives, seminars, or a joint or dual degree.  

Lasting 21 months, students must complete a Global Experience Requirement, where you study and work abroad for a minimum of 10 days. Previous destinations have included Brazil, South Korea and Greece.