QS MBA Rankings 2025: IIM-B, IIM-C, IIM-A at Top, Indian B-Schools Shine Globally

One of the standards for the popularity of QS Global MBA Rankings is that it assesses the quality of the reputations of business schools worldwide. In this regard, prospective students need information to gain insights into those MBA programs concerning quality and reputation. Institutions are ranked based on more important criteria such as employability, entrepreneurship, ROI, thought leadership, and diversity. This process fully intends to harmonize the current needs of the demands of today's highly competitive business environment among MBA aspirants.

QS Global MBA Rankings 2025

The QS Global MBA Rankings 2025 features 340 business schools from 58 countries. This speaks to the ever-increasing globalization of MBA education. These rankings thus shed light on the fact that American institutions are still fairly well represented while further leaving in their wake Stanford Graduate School of Business as the world's top-ranked MBA program. Wharton School from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School came in second and third, respectively.

Top 10 Global MBA Colleges

Rankings for this year mainly centered on global networks and diverse student bodies, a key facet for students who want to expand their career avenues.

QS Rankings for Indian B-Schools

Several top schools in India feature within the QS Global MBA Rankings. Below is a summary table outlining the ranking of the top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2025:

Indian School Of Business features:

Indian School of Business (ISB) ranks among the top business schools in India in terms of innovative approach to management education and keen commitment to the values of diversity. Among its outstanding features, which distinguish this institution from the rest, are:

• Diverse Student Body:
• It focuses on professional diversity with an induction of almost 850 students from diverse backgrounds-journalism, arts, engineering, finance, and the like. This diversified mix enlivens classroom discussions and enriches learning experiences.
• The school ensures a gender diversity ratio of around 40% of women in classes, which would be balanced in discussions and group work.
• Global Exposure:

ISB partners with various international business schools with exchange programs where students get the chance to learn the international perception of businesses. The heavy percentage exposure of students to international opportunities prepares them for international careers.

• Flexible Curriculum:

• The curriculum at ISB is rigorous and flexible. This could permit a student to calibrate his or her education according to the aspirations in a certain career.
• A student is flexible to take as many electives and specializations as possible including finance, marketing, operation, and entrepreneurship.
• Strong Alumni Network

The school has a very rich alumni presence in every single industry around the world. Amongst the regular programs where alumni often take an interest, are mentorship, networking opportunities along guest lectures which help in gaining insight from the business world.

• Leadership Development is also deployed:

Experiential learning models prevail in the form of conducting several leadership workshops, and seminars with industry leaders and also participating in cases.

• Innovative Pedagogy:

ISB employs a mix of pedagogy, including case studies, simulations, and interactive sessions that involve active participation from the students. That in turn enables building a link from the theoretical to a more practical application.

• Career Development and Placement Support:

The ISB has Career Advancement Services, one of the best in terms of providing placements for its graduates. It organizes numerous preplacement talks and network events with companies from all industries.

Debutants in QS Rankings 2025

A total of 14 Indian full-time MBA programs find a mention in the rankings for 2025. Three new institutions have appeared. Of these, IIM Kozhikode has entered the 151-200 band, while the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and Somaiya Vidyavihar University have featured in the 251+ band.

It mirrors the ability to incubate top-notch talent and India's growing influence on the global business education landscape, but further strides are needed to create more diverse, globally integrated learning environments to better align with the future of business leadership.

Future of Indian MBA Programmes

The Indian MBA programs are in the midst of a rapid flux. Increasing globalization and global competencies are compelling the Indian B-schools to strive for further improvement in their global outreach and the relevance of the curriculum. Several trends are shaping the future of these programs: 

• Curriculum Innovation

• Indian B-schools are rapidly introducing technology and data analytics into the classrooms.
•  The importance of skills that students must learn to understand navigating a data-driven world is better prepared in the classroom. Programs include modules in AI, machine learning, and digital marketing.
• Global Partnerships
• Tying up with other foreign universities to offer dual degrees or exchange programs has become a common practice for the top-ranked Indian B-schools. 
• This will increase exposure to various global practices and give them different outlooks toward business practices.
• Emphasis on Entrepreneurship
• With the boom in start-ups and entrepreneurship ventures in India, many B-schools now have an even stronger focus on developing an entrepreneurial attitude among their students.
•  And, of course, all that is done through incubators, mentorship opportunities, and networking with industry leaders.
• Better Placement Support
• With the intention of becoming more competitive than their international counterparts, Indian B-schools are beginning to forge relationships with multinational corporations as well as startups to strengthen placement cells.
•  This is to make sure that graduating students get good job offers immediately after they graduate.
• Diversity and Inclusion
• When globalization digs deeper into the business environment then diversity is no weakness but strength. 
• The Indian B-schools are working very actively to attract international students and make their campus pluralistic and culturally diverse.

FAQ

1. What are QS Rankings?

The QS World University Rankings is an annual ranking of universities across the globe by QS Quacquarelli Symonds. In this regard, universities are ranked on several parameters so that students as well as researchers can make the right decisions in respect of higher education.

2. What key indicators does QS Rankings 2025 employ?

In QS Rankings 2025, six key indicators were used to rank the universities:

• Academic reputation: This refers to a general feeling about the quality of work, research, and teaching in that institution.
• Employer reputation: It refers to how much society respects graduates from a given institution.
• Faculty-Student ratio: This is the number of academic staff about the number of students.
• Citations per faculty: It measures the research influence by the number of times the work published by the faculty has been cited.
• International faculty ratio: It reflects the diversity of the faculty in the institution.
• International Student Ratio (5%): Percentage of international students.
• International Research Network (5%): Measure of universities at international borders in connection with other universities in terms of research cooperation
• Graduation Employability Outcomes (5%): Learner employability and career outcomes.
• Sustainability: Demonstrates the commitment of an institution towards the realization of sustainable operations and education.

3. How many universities have QS Rankings 2025?

The QS Rankings 2025 covers more than 1,500 universities worldwide; therefore, it is one of the largest and most inclusive rankings globally. Compared to other editions, this edition of QS Rankings showcases strong representation by various institutions from different countries, signifying rich globalization in education.

4. How do QS Rankings obtain their data?

The collection of data for QS Rankings takes a combined approach of the following:

• Surveys involving academic faculty and employers about perceptions regarding institutions.
• Research articles and institutional data, publicly available, form the basis for analysis.
• Universities have collaborated in checking submissions for accuracy.

5. What methodology enhancements were made this year compared with last year's QS Rankings 2025

For the QS Rankings 2025, some weights among existing indicators were modified. For example, weights for Academic Reputation and Faculty-Student Ratio were decreased by 10% while for Employer Reputation got +5%. Three new indicators were also launched. Each will carry a weight of 5%: International Research Network, Employment Outcomes, and Sustainability.