Which are the best Masters in Management programs? Financial Times MiM Ranking 2026

The University of St Gallen is the top business school in the world to study a Master in Management, according to the Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking 2026.

St Gallen has been Europe's leading destination to study a MiM degree for some time, occupying the top spot in the FT's annually published ranking in all but one of the last 16 years (in 2023 France’s HEC Paris rose from second place to top the ranking). 

Typically dominated by business schools in Europe, the 2026 FT MiM Ranking is no exception. Eight of the top 10 schools are based in Europe, up from seven in the 2025 ranking. French business schools historically fare well in the FT MiM Ranking: the 2026 list places three among the top 10, down from four the previous year and six in 2024.

In total, 132 schools took part in this year’s ranking of MiM programs, down from 137 last year. Schools receive scores across a number of categories, including salaries, value for money, and career progression, as reported by students three years after completing their courses.

Masters in Management Ranking | Top 3 breakdown

The St Gallen Master in Strategy and International Management lands the top-ranked spot in 2026 due to its strong performance across the FT’s outcomes-related metrics, as well as several other factors.

With 98% of graduates securing jobs within three months and 91% of alumni reporting the program helped achieve their aims, this places the school among the top performers for career progression.

Average alumni salaries of around $150,000 place St Gallen among the top 10 business schools for earning potential. The school also helped graduates gain a solid salary percentage increase of 49%, placing it among the top quarter of schools in this category. 

St Gallen is also boosted by a strong diversity assessment with 97% international students among the cohort and a 50/50 gender split within the classroom.  

Portugal’s Nova School of Business and Economics ranks second in 2026, replacing HEC Paris in last year’s ranking. Up from fourth last year, 100% of students from Nova School of Business and Economics secured jobs within three months of graduating. Of these, 93% reported achieving their aims, with alumni earning an average weighted salary of $132,000.

Rounding off the top three is Shanghai Jiao Tong University Antai College of Economics and Management. Rising three places from last year’s ranking, 100% of Shanghai Jiao Tong MiM graduates are employed within three months, seeing a salary increase of 59%.

Shanghai Jiao Tong is the only Chinese school to feature in the 2026 ranking. While last year’s ranking saw Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and Tongji University School of Economics and Management alongside Shanghai Jiao Tong in the top 10, neither of these schools appear in the 2026 ranking. The FT does not reveal why a school may be absent, though previous reasons have included choosing not to submit or not meeting the required number of alumni responses.

Masters in Management Ranking | Changing top 10

While no French schools made the top three in the Financial Times Master in Management Ranking 2026, they can be found further down the list. France remains the country with the highest number of schools in the ranking, making up 23 out of the 100 schools listed.

The highest among these include INSEAD, HEC Paris, and ESCP Business School, ranking fourth, fifth, and joint sixth, respectively.

Occupying the remaining top 10 spots in this year's Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking are institutions from Belgium, Spain, Sweden, and Morocco.
Vlerick Business School in Belgium ranks joint sixth alongside ESCP Business School, rising eight places since last year and marking the school's first time in the top 10.

Spain’s IESE Business School jumps from 16th to eighth in this year’s ranking, while Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden stays in ninth place.

Rabat Business School in Morocco comes in 10th, marking the first time any African business school has reached the top 10 in any FT business school rankings. Up from 20th place last year and 32nd in 2024, Rabat Business School holds the highest overall satisfaction score and graduates achieve the largest salary increase of all those listed, at 81.8%.

For the first time since the ranking began in 2005, no UK schools appear in the top 10. While London Business School—the highest ranked UK business school—placed 10th in last year’s ranking, it drops to 16th this year. 

Masters in Management Ranking | Beyond Europe 

As is typically the case in the FT MiM Ranking, the highest average salaries earned by graduates can be found at the top business schools in India. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad reported the highest average salaries, with grads earning more than $199,000 on average, a 46% increase from before the program. IIM Ahmedabad rises from 34th to 27th overall this year. 

In total, there are 14 Indian business schools in the FT’s top 100 MiM programs, up from 11 the previous year. This includes big name schools, with IIM Ahmedabad joined by the IIMs of Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, and Lucknow, as well as SP Jain Institute of Management and Research. 

The list also sees Singapore represented by Singapore Management University, in 68th place.

While the list is dominated by business schools in Europe and Asia, Australia's University of Sydney Business School ranks 51st, up from 77th last year.

For the fifth year in a row, only two US business schools are ranked among the top 100 Master in Management programs. Hult International Business School comes joint 48th, while Georgetown McDonough—which wasn’t included in last year’s ranking—comes joint 92nd. The MBA remains the dominant degree in the US, however there are increasing numbers of US schools choosing to launch MiM degrees.

The Financial Times Masters in Management ranking is based on surveys of both alumni and schools. Alumni responses comprise 56% of the total ranking, while school data is worth 44%.

To be eligible, a school must offer a full-time, cohort based, Master in Management program aimed at students with little or no prior work experience. The school must also be accredited by the AACSN or Equis.