ISB Jumps 15 Places to 12th in FT Global MBA Rankings
ISB climbed 15 places to rank 12th globally in the FT Global MBA Rankings 2026, retaining its position as India’s highest-ranked business school for the third consecutive year.
The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, climbed 15 places to rank 12th globally in the Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Rankings 2026, retaining its position as India’s highest-ranked business school for the third consecutive year.
ISB’s Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) was ranked first in India and second in Asia. The school improved from 27th place in 2025 and 31st in 2024, according to the rankings released on February 16.
ISB also ranked first globally for the percentage increase in alumni salaries before and after the programme, while its alumni network was placed sixth worldwide.
Nine Indian business schools featured in the global top 100. Besides ISB, the list included IIM Ahmedabad at 27th, IIM Bangalore at 34th, IIM Calcutta at 53rd, IIM Lucknow at 58th, IIM Indore at 62nd, IIM Kozhikode at 65th, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research at 74th, and XLRI at 82nd.
MIT Sloan School of Management topped the global rankings for the first time, followed by INSEAD and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Prof. Deepa Mani, deputy dean of academic programmes at ISB, said the ranking reaffirmed the school’s mission to develop leaders who would shape India’s next phase of economic growth and global leadership. “Our ranking, alongside a number of Indian Schools in the global top 100, is a testament to India’s rising global influence,” she said, adding that the programme combines academic rigour with real-world relevance.
The school said its network of more than 20,000 alumni across 65 countries contributed to organisations and economies worldwide.
The 2026 rankings assessed 100 full-time MBA programmes worldwide. The Financial Times on London used 21 criteria, drawing on alumni surveys, school-provided data and research output. Alumni responses accounted for 56 per cent of the overall ranking, school data for 34 per cent and research for 10 per cent.
The assessment included salary growth, career progression, value for money, alumni networks, diversity and research. It surveyed graduates who completed their programmes in 2022, three years after graduation.