QS Global MBA Rankings

Students

For students, the QS Global MBA Rankings provide an independent and internationally comparable assessment of MBA programme quality at a time when choosing an MBA represents one of the most significant educational and financial investments of an individual’s career. Prospective students are typically seeking more than academic instruction alone; they want programmes that will accelerate career progression, expand professional networks, strengthen leadership capability, increase earning potential, and provide access to global opportunities. The ranking helps students identify programmes that successfully deliver these outcomes.

The ranking combines measures of employability, employer recognition, alumni achievement, entrepreneurship, academic quality, diversity, and value for money to provide a holistic picture of programme performance. By evaluating both the short-term and long-term returns associated with MBA study, the ranking enables students to make more informed decisions about where to invest their time, resources, and professional aspirations. It also helps prospective students compare programmes across countries and regions using a consistent and transparent framework.

Institutions

For institutions and business schools, the QS Global MBA Rankings provide a comprehensive benchmark of programme performance across the dimensions that matter most to students, employers, and the wider business community. The ranking enables schools to understand their relative strengths and weaknesses, assess competitive positioning, and evaluate how effectively their MBA programmes deliver value to graduates and employers.

The ranking also supports strategic planning and continuous improvement. By combining measures of employability, entrepreneurship, thought leadership, diversity, and financial value, it allows institutions to assess whether their programmes are successfully preparing graduates for leadership roles in an increasingly global and dynamic economy. Strong performance can enhance institutional reputation, strengthen recruitment efforts, attract employers and academic talent, and demonstrate the impact of investments in curriculum development, faculty quality, internationalisation, and career services.

Employers

For employers, the QS Global MBA Rankings provide insight into which MBA programmes consistently produce graduates with the knowledge, skills, leadership potential, and professional capabilities required within modern organisations. As businesses operate in increasingly complex and international environments, employers need confidence that graduates possess not only technical business knowledge but also the strategic thinking, communication, analytical, and leadership skills necessary to create organisational value.

The ranking helps employers identify business schools that maintain strong links with industry, achieve high levels of employer recognition, and generate positive long-term graduate outcomes. It can support recruitment strategies, graduate hiring programmes, talent pipeline development, internship partnerships, and executive engagement initiatives. Strongly performing programmes indicate an ability to develop graduates who are capable of progressing into managerial, executive, entrepreneurial, and innovation-focused roles across diverse sectors and industries.

Policymakers

For policymakers, the QS Global MBA Rankings provide an internationally comparable measure of how MBA education contributes to economic development, human capital formation, entrepreneurship, productivity, and leadership capacity. MBA programmes play an important role in developing the managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who help drive organisational performance, innovation, investment, and economic growth.

The ranking offers insights into the effectiveness of graduate management education systems in preparing professionals for leadership in both private and public sectors. By examining employability outcomes, entrepreneurship, internationalisation, academic quality, and financial returns, policymakers can better understand how business education contributes to workforce development, economic competitiveness, talent retention, and the creation of high-value skills within national and regional economies.

Global Higher Education Landscape

Within the global higher education landscape, the QS Global MBA Rankings provide a benchmark for excellence in graduate management education. The ranking identifies programmes that successfully combine academic rigour, employer recognition, career outcomes, entrepreneurial culture, diversity, and financial value, creating an internationally comparable framework for evaluating business education quality.

The project contributes to a broader understanding of how MBA programmes create value for individuals, organisations, economies, and society. By highlighting programmes that demonstrate excellence across multiple dimensions rather than relying solely on reputation or salary outcomes, the ranking encourages a more balanced view of programme quality and impact. It also provides valuable insights into emerging trends in business education, workforce development, international mobility, entrepreneurship, and leadership preparation, helping shape discussions about the future of management education worldwide.

Research for the QS Global MBA Rankingsbegins in November.

Data Collection

	Date Starts	Date Ends
Survey Contacts Submission	November	JAN 31 2026
Academic Survey	November	early March
Employer Survey	November	early March
Institution Data	November	May 16 2026

 

Along with the overall Global MBA Ranking, we publish seven sub-regional rankings.

• Asia MBA Rankings
• Canada MBA Rankings
• Europe MBA Rankings
• Latin America MBA Rankings
• Middle East and Africa MBA Rankings
• Oceania MBA Rankings
• United States MBA Rankings

An overall rank in the global ranking is transformed into an overall rank in the corresponding sub-regional ranking, using the same overall and indicator scores as the global ranking. Indicator ranks in the sub-regional rankings are not available.

In each of our rankings we use a range of measurements as part of our methodology. These can be split into three broad groups​.

Each ranking is made up of a different group of measurements, with some being used across several rankings and others unique to one project.

Lens

A group of Indicators which are related to the same theme

Indicator

A measurement of one aspect of an institution’s performance. Institutions are scored and ranked within indicators and those indicator scores contribute to its overall rank and score​

Metric

A more specific calculation that forms part of an Indicator​

Lenses and indicators

The QS Global MBA Rankings are structured around five complementary lenses, each capturing a distinct dimension of programme quality and student value:

Employability (40%) evaluates how effectively a programme develops graduates who succeed in the labour market. The lens combines Employer Reputation (35%), and Graduate Employment Index (5%). Together, these indicators assess employer perceptions of graduate quality, and short-term employment success. This lens reflects the fact that career advancement, and employability remain the primary motivations for most MBA candidates.

Alumni Outcomes (15%) evaluates how effectively a programme develops graduates who create impact throughout their careers. The lens combines Alumni Impact (10%), and Entrepreneurship (5%). Together, these indicators assess long-term alumni achievement, and the ability of programmes to foster entrepreneurial outcomes. This lens measure the impact of a programme on long-term career success, leadership development, and the fostering of entrepreneurial instincts.

Value for Money (20%) measures the economic return associated with undertaking an MBA. It consists of Return on Investment (ROI) (15%) and Payback Month (5%), which together evaluate both the overall financial benefits generated by the qualification and the speed with which graduates can recover their educational investment. By considering tuition costs, living expenses, opportunity costs, entrepreneurial outcomes, and post-graduation earnings, the lens provides a realistic assessment of the programme's financial value from the student perspective. 

Thought Leadership (15%) examines the academic foundation underpinning the MBA programme. It incorporates Academic Reputation (10%), Research Impact (2.5%), and Staff with PhD (2.5%), providing insight into the institution's standing within the global academic community, the influence of its research in business-related disciplines, and the qualifications of its faculty. Collectively, these indicators assess whether the programme is supported by a strong research culture and high-quality academic expertise capable of informing contemporary business education. 

Diversity (10%) assesses the diversity of both the faculty and student population through Women Faculty Ratio (2.5%), International Faculty Ratio (2.5%), International Student Ratio (2.5%), and Women Student Ratio (2.5%). These indicators capture the extent to which programmes create internationally diverse and inclusive learning environments. Diversity within MBA education is particularly important because participants often learn as much from their peers and faculty as from formal classroom instruction. A diverse cohort enhances cultural awareness, broadens professional networks, and strengthens the collaborative and global perspectives that are increasingly required in modern business leadership.

Together, these five lenses and thirteen indicators provide a holistic assessment of MBA programme quality. The QS Global MBA Rankings therefore move beyond traditional measures of prestige alone by evaluating how effectively programmes combine academic excellence, employer recognition, graduate success, diversity, entrepreneurial culture, and financial value. 

In doing so, the ranking helps prospective students identify programmes that not only deliver a high-quality educational experience, but also support meaningful career progression, leadership development, and long-term professional success in the global business environment.

Below you can find the weightings for each lens and indicator in this ranking. Weightings are reviewed on an annual basis. Click on each lens or indicator for more detailed information.

Where any of the submitted data falls under guidance of the MBA CSEA standards, these are adhered to. 

Lens Name	Weight	Overview
Employability	40%	Assesses how effectively the MBA programme prepares graduates for successful careers. It combines employer recognition and employment outcomes to provide a comprehensive view of graduate labour-market value.
Value for Money	20%	Assesses whether the MBA represents a worthwhile financial investment for students by measuring both long-term return and speed of payback. It reflects the economic value generated through participation in the programme.
Alumni Outcomes	15%	Assesses how effectively the MBA programme prepares graduates for long-term professional achievement. It combines alumni success, and entrepreneurial activity to provide a comprehensive view of graduate impact.
Thought Leadership	15%	Assesses the academic foundation underpinning the MBA programme through measures of academic reputation, research influence, and faculty qualifications. It reflects the intellectual strength, scholarly credibility, and knowledge creation capacity supporting the learning experience.
Diversity	10%	Assesses the diversity of the MBA environment through the composition of both faculty and student populations. It reflects the degree to which programmes provide inclusive, internationally diverse, and representative learning communities.

 

Lens Name	Indicator Name	Weight	Overview
Employability and Outcomes	Employer Reputation	35%	Measures how employers perceive the quality, preparedness, leadership potential, and relevance of MBA graduates. Based on the QS Global Employer Survey, it provides an external assessment of programme standing within the labour market and contributes a strong measure of industry recognition and employer confidence.
Employability and Outcomes	Graduate Employment Rate	5%	Measures how effectively the programme supports graduates in securing paid employment shortly after graduation. By benchmarking employment outcomes against both national and global contexts, it contributes evidence of immediate labour-market success and workforce readiness.
Value for Money	Return on Investment (ROI)	15%	Measures the estimated long-term and short-term financial value generated by the MBA by comparing salary uplift over five and ten years against the total cost of obtaining the qualification, including tuition fees, living costs, and foregone earnings. It contributes a comprehensive assessment of student value and financial return.
Value for Money	Payback Month	5%	Measures the estimated time required for graduates to recover the financial investment made in their MBA. It contributes a practical assessment of affordability and the speed with which students can realise economic benefits from their qualification.
Alumni Outcomes	Alumni Impact	10%	Measures the long-term achievements and influence of programme alumni across leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, international mobility, and professional success. It contributes a long-term perspective on programme effectiveness beyond initial employment outcomes.
Alumni Outcomes	Entrepreneurship	5%	Measures the proportion of the graduating class that establishes a business within three months of graduation. It contributes insight into the entrepreneurial culture of the programme and its ability to transform entrepreneurial ambition into measurable career outcomes.
Thought Leadership	Academic Reputation	10%	Measures how the academic community perceives the quality, influence, and excellence of the institution’s teaching and research in business-related disciplines. It contributes an assessment of scholarly standing and academic prestige within global management education.
Thought Leadership	Research Impact	2.5%	Measures the influence and quality of research produced by the institution in Business and Management fields through citations and H-index performance. It contributes evidence of intellectual leadership and the strength of the research environment underpinning the MBA programme.
Thought Leadership	Staff with PhD	2.5%	Measures the proportion of faculty holding doctoral qualifications. It contributes an assessment of academic expertise, research capacity, and the extent to which the programme is supported by highly qualified faculty members.
Diversity	Women Faculty Ratio	2.5%	Measures the gender balance of academic staff associated with the programme or institution. It contributes insight into equality, representation, and the diversity of perspectives available within the learning environment.
Diversity	International Faculty Ratio	2.5%	Measures the proportion of faculty members who are international by citizenship. It contributes evidence of global engagement, international collaboration, and exposure to diverse academic and professional perspectives.
Diversity	International Student Ratio	2.5%	Measures the proportion of international students within the student body. It contributes an assessment of programme attractiveness to global talent and the degree of international diversity within the cohort.
Diversity	Women Student Ratio	2.5%	Measures the gender balance of students within the programme. It contributes a measure of inclusivity, representation, and diversity within the learning experience while supporting broader equality objectives.

 

Unit of Measurement

Programme

The QS Global MBA Rankings are measured at the programme level. While results are presented using the institution or business school name, the unit being evaluated is the individual MBA programme rather than the institution as a whole.

The ranking assesses the performance, outcomes, learning environment, reputation, and value delivered by a specific MBA programme. Where institutions offer multiple eligible MBA programmes, rankings are based on the programme that meets the published eligibility and participation requirements.

Scope

The QS Global MBA Rankings cover full-time and full-time equivalent (FTE) Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes offered by recognised higher education institutions and business schools worldwide.

The project evaluates programmes that provide broad-based graduate management education across multiple business disciplines, including areas such as accounting, finance, business analytics, management, marketing, strategy, operations, organisational behaviour, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management.

The ranking includes programmes that meet minimum quality, scale, and delivery requirements and evaluates them across five complementary lenses:

• Employability
• Alumni Outcomes
• Value for Money
• Thought Leadership
• Diversity

The project is designed to assess programmes that prepare students for leadership, management, entrepreneurial, and strategic decision-making roles within local, national, and global organisations.

Geographic Scope

Global

The QS Global MBA Rankings include eligible MBA programmes from all world regions and higher education systems.

The methodology is designed to facilitate international comparison between programmes operating in different economic, educational, and labour-market environments. Where appropriate, indicators incorporate benchmarking or normalisation approaches to support comparability across countries and regions.

Inclusion / Exclusion Rules

Included:

• Full-time MBA programmes.
• Full-time equivalent (FTE) MBA programmes.
• Programmes delivered fully or partially on campus.
• MBA programmes offered by recognised higher education institutions or business schools.
• Programmes that have graduated at least one cohort of students.
• Programmes with an average class size of at least 20 students.
• Programmes offered by institutions that hold at least one of the following:
  • AACSB accreditation;
  • AMBA accreditation;
  • EFMD accreditation; or
  • A QS Stars rating of three stars or above.
• Joint or partnership MBA programmes where sufficient programme-level data can be collected and attributed.
• Programmes able to provide the data required for participation in the ranking methodology.
• Programmes meeting minimum data quality, verification, and coverage requirements across relevant indicators.

Excluded:

• Online MBA programmes, which are assessed separately through the QS Online MBA Rankings.
• Executive MBA (EMBA) programmes, which are assessed separately through the QS Executive MBA Rankings.
• Distance-learning MBA programmes that do not meet the on-campus delivery requirements.
• Specialised business master's programmes, including:
  • Master's in Business Analytics;
  • Master's in Finance;
  • Master's in Management;
  • Master's in Marketing;
  • Master's in Supply Chain Management; and
  • other discipline-specific business master's qualifications assessed through separate QS rankings.
• Programmes without a graduating cohort.
• Programmes with an average class size below the minimum threshold.
• Programmes offered by institutions that do not satisfy minimum accreditation, quality assurance, or QS Stars requirements.
• Programmes unable to provide sufficient verified data to support participation in the ranking.
• Programmes failing QS minimum standards relating to data quality, reliability, coverage, or methodological comparability.
• Non-degree executive education, professional development, certificate, diploma, micro-credential, or short-course programmes.
• Programmes where the MBA qualification is not the primary award being assessed.

All institutions can submit data for the rankings. This data is important in ensuring our rankings are as accurate as possible.

Where we don’t have data submitted by an institution, we feature them on the strength of proprietary and publicly available or previously supplied data. Our rankings are designed with this in mind.

Submission Platform

You should submit data via the QS MoveIN platform.

Please contact our Institution Support Team via our helpdesk if you do not have login details, or need further support.

You can find more information on QS MoveIN HERE

Our rankings are not opt-in/opt-out, so it is in an institution's best interest to ensure that we reflect them accurately by submitting their data.

If you would like your institution to be considered for inclusion in the Rankings and your institution has not received a submission email, please contact: rankings@qs.com.

Data Reporting Period

For the majority of the data we request, the reporting period should cover the academic year previous to our rankings cycle.

This will be approximately January to December for the Southern Hemisphere, and August to July for the Northern Hemisphere.

There are exceptions to this, so please refer to our data dictionary if you are unsure.

If your institution is included in the rankings we have a range of assets available to you to allow you to highlight your achievement to students and others.

All ranked institutions should receive the relevant marketing assets at launch. If you are ranked and have not received anything from us please contact: rankings@qs.com

Certificates

All ranked institutions will receive a digital and PDF certificate when they receive their Fact File highlighting their rank.

Certificates are designed for digital or physical use.

Badges

All ranked institutions will receive digital badges when they receive their Fact File email. ​

This will allow institutions to share and embed their credentials easily, whilst also providing reassurance to viewers of the validity of the credential, as the badges are fraud and tamper-proof, protected by the highest-level protection using blockchain technology.

• Why does QS produce a separate Global MBA Ranking rather than assessing MBA programmes within institutional rankings?

The QS Global MBA Rankings are designed specifically to evaluate MBA programmes rather than universities as a whole. MBA quality, student profile, employer engagement, career outcomes, and return on investment can vary significantly within the same institution. A programme-level approach therefore provides a more relevant assessment for prospective MBA students and employers.

• What does the QS Global MBA Rankings measure?

The ranking evaluates MBA programme quality across five broad dimensions: Employability, Alumni Outcomes, Value for Money, Thought Leadership, and Diversity. Together these lenses assess career success, employer recognition, alumni achievement, financial return, academic strength, and learning environment characteristics.

• Why is Employability weighted more heavily than other lenses?

Career advancement remains the primary reason most students choose to undertake an MBA. The methodology therefore assigns greater weight to indicators that assess graduate employment and employer recognition. The weighting reflects the central role of career progression in MBA decision-making.

• Why does Employer Reputation account for such a large proportion of the ranking?

Employer Reputation provides direct insight into how employers perceive the quality, preparedness, and relevance of MBA graduates. Since employer recognition influences recruitment opportunities, salary progression, and long-term career outcomes, it is considered a critical measure of programme standing within the labour market.

• Does Employer Reputation simply measure popularity?

No. The indicator is based on responses from employers involved in graduate recruitment and talent acquisition. It reflects employer experience and professional judgement regarding graduate quality rather than general public awareness or brand recognition.

• Why are graduate outcomes measured rather than teaching quality alone?

MBA students are typically making a significant financial and professional investment. While teaching quality is important, students also want evidence that programmes generate positive career, leadership, entrepreneurial, and economic outcomes. The methodology therefore focuses heavily on measurable post-graduation results.

• Why does the ranking include Alumni Impact?

The value of an MBA extends beyond securing an initial job. Alumni Impact examines the longer-term achievements of graduates, including leadership attainment, entrepreneurship, innovation, and international success. It helps assess whether programmes develop individuals capable of creating sustained professional and societal impact.

• Why is entrepreneurship measured separately from employment?

Entrepreneurship represents an important and distinctive career pathway within MBA education. Many graduates pursue venture creation rather than traditional employment. Measuring entrepreneurship separately ensures that programmes supporting founders and innovators receive appropriate recognition.

• Why does the Entrepreneurship indicator focus on business creation within three months of graduation?

The metric seeks to identify programmes that successfully convert entrepreneurial ambition into immediate action. The three-month reporting window provides a consistent and comparable international framework while ensuring alignment with established MBA reporting standards.

• How is Return on Investment (ROI) calculated?

ROI estimates the financial value generated by an MBA by comparing projected salary uplift against the total cost of obtaining the qualification. Costs include tuition fees, living expenses, and foregone earnings while studying.

• Why does ROI consider opportunity cost?

The methodology recognises that MBA students often leave employment or reduce earning capacity while studying. Including foregone income provides a more realistic assessment of the total investment required to obtain the degree.

• Does a high ROI score guarantee a high salary?

No. ROI reflects average outcomes and projected long-term financial value rather than guaranteeing individual results. Actual outcomes vary depending on industry, geography, prior experience, career decisions, and economic conditions.

• Why is Payback Month included if ROI is already measured?

ROI measures the overall financial benefit generated by the MBA, whereas Payback Month estimates how quickly graduates recover their investment. Together, the two indicators provide complementary perspectives on economic value.

• Why does the ranking include academic indicators for a professionally focused qualification?

MBA education combines practical business application with academic knowledge. Academic Reputation, Research Impact, and Staff with PhD help assess whether the programme is supported by strong intellectual foundations, scholarly expertise, and high-quality faculty.

• Does Research Impact directly measure teaching quality?

Not directly. Research Impact measures the strength and influence of business-related research activity. While strong research environments often contribute to curriculum quality and thought leadership, research excellence should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of teaching effectiveness.

• Why is Staff with PhD included in the methodology?

The indicator provides a measure of academic qualifications within the faculty. It reflects research capability, subject expertise, and scholarly capacity, all of which contribute to the intellectual environment supporting MBA education.

• Why does the ranking include diversity indicators?

MBA programmes are highly collaborative and often rely heavily on peer learning. Diverse student and faculty populations contribute to broader perspectives, stronger networks, richer classroom discussions, and greater exposure to international business environments.

• Why are gender and internationalisation measured separately?

These indicators capture different dimensions of diversity. Gender balance reflects inclusion and representation, while international faculty and student measures assess global engagement, cross-cultural exposure, and international attractiveness.

• Does a high International Student Ratio necessarily mean a better student experience?

Not necessarily. A diverse international cohort can enrich the learning environment, but the quality of integration, engagement, and student support also remains important. The indicator measures international representation rather than the overall experience of international students.

• Why are specialised business master's programmes excluded?

Programmes such as Master's in Finance, Master's in Management, Master's in Marketing, Master's in Business Analytics, and Master's in Supply Chain Management have different objectives, student profiles, and career outcomes. They are assessed through separate QS rankings designed specifically for those qualifications.

• Why are Executive MBA and Online MBA programmes excluded?

Executive MBA and Online MBA programmes serve different audiences and operate under different delivery models compared with full-time MBA programmes. These formats are assessed through dedicated methodologies designed around their specific characteristics.

• Can institutions with relatively small MBA programmes perform well?

Yes. The methodology primarily evaluates outcomes, reputation, quality, and impact rather than programme scale. While a minimum class size threshold applies for eligibility, performance is not determined by programme size alone.

• How are international differences in labour markets taken into account?

Several indicators incorporate normalisation, benchmarking, or contextualisation approaches to improve comparability across countries. 

• Does the ranking favour wealthy countries or highly prestigious institutions?

The methodology includes measures such as national benchmarking and proportional scoring to improve comparability. However, all global rankings face challenges relating to economic differences, reputation effects, labour-market structures, and historical institutional advantages.

• Should students choose an MBA programme purely based on the ranking?

No. Rankings should be used as one source of information among many. Students should also consider programme culture, curriculum, location, career goals, cost, faculty expertise, networking opportunities, personal circumstances, and fit with their individual objectives.

• How should institutions use the ranking?

The ranking should be used primarily as a benchmarking and diagnostic tool. It can help institutions identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement, but it should not replace institutional mission, strategy, or broader educational objectives.

• How often is the methodology reviewed?

The methodology is subject to ongoing review and refinement. QS regularly evaluates stakeholder feedback, data quality, labour-market developments, business education trends, and methodological performance to ensure the ranking remains relevant and robust.

• What is the overall purpose of the QS Global MBA Rankings?

The ranking aims to identify MBA programmes that most effectively combine employer recognition, graduate outcomes, academic quality, diversity, entrepreneurial culture, and financial value. It seeks to help students, employers, institutions, and policymakers understand which programmes are best positioned to support long-term professional success in an increasingly global and complex business environment.

• What does the term “tuition fees” refer to?

"Tuition fees" stands for the published financial cost a student must pay for an educational programme. This should exclude additional charges such as registration or application costs.

• How do you define “international students” in the survey?

Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship.

EU countries: include all foreign nationals, even nationals from other EU states.

Hong Kong: include students from Mainland China.

In case of dual citizenship, the deciding criteria should be ‘citizenship obtained through birth’. Please visit Data Appendix – QS Quacquarelli Symonds for more information.

• How do I submit employer/academic lists?

Every school will be invited to the survey individually. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you need help.

• May I have an extension on the deadline date?

This is usually possible within reason. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you need to ask for an extension.

• Can I fill out the survey in PDF, Word or Excel formats?

A: No. We need the survey to be done online through our data submission portal. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you do not have login details, or need further support.

• If I open a survey, does that mean I show my intent to submit information?

No. We will only consider finalised applications that have been submitted by the school. 

• Why can I only see previous surveys and not the current ones?

Open the portal and scroll down; click on “Start New Application” - the new surveys will then appear.

Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you do not have login details, or need further support.

• Do you survey alumni as part of the ranking?

Not directly. However, if they have gone on to become academics or in positions of hiring responsibility in companies, they may be surveyed as part of our Academic and Employer Reputation surveys. 

• What is the definition of a joint programme?

There are two distinct forms of joint programme

Joint Study Programmes - A programme where two or more institutions collaborate on the study program, but where each institution is responsible for admission and awarding of degrees to its own students.

Joint Degrees- A joint study programme leading to a joint degree where all partner institutions are responsible for the entire programme and issue a joint degree.

What is your policy regarding GDPR?

QS is GDPR compliant. We treat all data safely and securely. For more information please visit Information_Security_Policy.pdf (qs.com).

Please note that contact details provided for the surveys:

• Will not be used for any commercial or business matters,
• Will be used for the sole purpose of inviting participants to the relevant QS reputation survey, which will inform the QS World University Rankings.
• Will not be submitted or transferred to any other organisation.
• QS will ensure that all rights of the 'data subject' will be preserved.

 

• If you don’t survey alumni then why do you request alumni contact details?

Alumni may be featured on our websites, we may also quote them in webinars or other QS marketing materials. Please note that alumni information will not be used to build or inform any of our rankings. If we do use any alumni-related information we will contact them before using their information or before the ranking is released.

• How do you define Masters in Management?

Masters in Management, or MIM, is a postgraduate academic degree that provides general management and organisation's knowledge. Recently, the MIM has been developed as an affordable alternative to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), for graduates from diverse disciplinary backgrounds from little or no professional business experience to professionals with who wish to transition towards a career in management.

• Should I just include Full Time faculty?

Please also count Full Time Equivalent FTE as per definitions here Data Appendix – QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

• Should I just include Faculty that is relevant to a particular programme, or count the whole Faculty cohort of the Business School?

Please include the cohort of Faculty staff.

• When counting Faculty staff, should I just include core staff or core and adjunct Faculty?

Please use both core and adjunct Faculty staff.

• What do you mean by “advanced degrees”?

We are referring to 'postgraduate' degrees.

• We are not sure whether our programme is suitable for your ranking, as its name is slightly different to the QS ranking name.

If the course content and class profile is comparable to the other programmes in the ranking, please feel free to add relevant information. We understand that names of programmes tend to fluctuate across institutions.

Please reach out to our specialist team on Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds to discuss this matter further if necessary.

• Do I have to fill out all of the rankings surveys?

No. We know some schools don’t collect every data point we are asking for. The most important responses are the questions connected to the rankings (as indicated in the survey). Please note that if you do not provide responses to these questions, QS will look for publicly available information and/or make estimates as necessary. 

• Does it affect my rank if I don't submit employer/academic contacts?

If you supply employer and academic contacts then this should increase your chance of being nominated. However, it might also increase the chance of some of your peers being nominated.

The survey is well established - we receive around 40,000 responses a year. Given this large database of existing employer nominations, not submitting a list is unlikely to impact your final ranking position. However, it has the potential to make a marginal difference in your reputation scores, especially if you are located in an underrepresented market.

• After I have submitted all data, can I get a copy of what I submitted?

Of course. You will be able to see a PDF of your answers on your dashboard. Please contact us Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds if you need further help. 

• When will I receive my institution’s results?

We aim to send a detailed competitive fact file of your results approximately two weeks before launch. Please ensure QS has the right contact/s in your institution who will receive these files.