FT Global MBA Rankings 2021: ISB Best In India, IIM Indore Makes Debut

The Financial Times global MBA rankings is one of the most esteemed rankings of business schools across the world. The influence of these rankings cannot be underestimated. In fact, a 2017 survey revealed that a massive 70 per cent of international applicants to business schools are influenced by FT's MBA rankings. These rankings are also taken very seriously by recruiters and can influence their recruitment decisions. In 2021, five Indian business school featured in the FT global MBA rankings, with a top-ranked IIM making its debut amongst the top hundred.

---

Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2021 - Five Key Highlights

This year's FT rankings saw some interesting changes, both from a global and Indian perspective. Here are the key highlights from the latest FT global MBA rankings:

1. Amongst the top hundred business schools, ISB has emerged as the top Indian business school, dethroning IIM Bangalore which held that title until last year. ISB has come in at the 23rd position in 2021, improving its ranking by five positions over the previous year.
2. IIM Indore has made its debut in the Financial Times MBA rankings. The institute has been ranked 94th, and is expected to feature in future FT rankings as well. IIMs Ahmedabad, Calcutta, and Bangalore all feature amongst the world's top fifty business schools.
3. IIM Ahmedabad has gained thirteen positions to yet again find itself a place amongst the world's top-50 management institutes.
4. INSEAD has been crowned as the world's top business school in 2021. Also amongst the top three are the London Business School and Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
5. Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Columbia Business School, MIT's Sloan School of Management, UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, and the Wharton School at UPenn have not competed in this year's Financial Times global MBA rankings.

We also recommend → The Shocking NIRF MBA Rankings of 2020

---

ISB Emerges As Top Indian Business School In 2021, IIM Indore Makes Debut In FT Rankings

The Indian School of Business has emerged as India's leading management institute in 2021, as per the latest Financial Times rankings. ISB moved up five positions as compared to last year, taking the 23rd spot this year and dethroning IIM Bangalore as India's top business school. IIM Bangalore slipped in rankings by eight positions, coming in at the 35th spot this year. IIM Calcutta, which made its FT global MBA rankings debut in 2017, has begun to make its mark on these rankings by sliding into the top-50 club and staying there for three consecutive years. In a span of five years, IIM Calcutta has managed to take a leap of a colossal fifty three positions in the FT rankings, which is highly commendable. In fact, IIM Calcutta has ranked ahead of IIM Ahmedabad for two consecutive years in these rankings. How important are business school rankings to you? How much do rankings influence your perception of a business school? Let us know here!

B-School	Rank In 2021	Rank In 2020	Rank In 2019	Rank In 2018	Rank In 2017
Indian School of Business	23	28	24	28	27
IIM Bangalore	35	27	33	35	49
IIM Calcutta	44	42	49	78	95
IIM Ahmedabad	48	61	47	29	31
IIM Indore	94	Did Not Feature	Did Not Feature	Did Not Feature	Did Not Feature

IIM Ahmedabad has seen a steady slip in its position amongst the top-100 global business schools. In the past few years, IIM A has gone from being ranked amongst the top-30 business schools to slipping out of the top-50 altogether. However, in 2021, the institute has gained thirteen positions to yet again find itself a place amongst the world's top-50 management institutes. However, the most notable observation from the latest FT rankings is the debut of IIM Indore, which has come in at the 94th position this year. It may only be a matter of time before we see IIMs Lucknow and Kozhikode also feature in these esteemed rankings. Read Next → Help InsideIIM Select India's Top B-Schools In 2021

---

INSEAD, Chicago Booth, IESE The Top Three Global Business Schools In The World

For the second time in five years, INSEAD has taken pole position in the Financial Times global MBA rankings. For at least the past five years, the institute has never slipped out of the top five and has consistently been Europe's leading business school ahead of the likes of the London Business School, IE, IESE, and HEC Paris amongst others. European business school make up the majority of the top five, with the esteemed London Business School coming in at second position, and the Barcelonan IESE taking up the fourth position in the latest rankings.

Rank	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
1	INSEAD	Harvard Business School	Stanford GSB	Stanford GSB	INSEAD
2	London Business School	University of Pennsylvania: Wharton	Harvard Business School	INSEAD	Stanford GSB
3	University of Chicago: Booth	Stanford GSB	INSEAD	University of Pennsylvania: Wharton	University of Pennsylvania: Wharton
4	IESE Business School	INSEAD	University of Pennsylvania: Wharton	London Business School	Harvard Business School
5	Yale SOM	CEIBS	CEIBS	Harvard Business School	University of Cambridge: Judge
6	Northwestern University: Kellogg	MIT: Sloan	London Business School	University of Chicago: Booth	London Business School
7	CEIBS	London Business School	University of Chicago: Booth	Columbia Business School	Columbia Business School
8	HEC Paris	Columbia Business School	MIT: Sloan	CEIBS	IE Business School
9	Duke University: Fuqua	HEC Paris	Columbia Business School	MIT: Sloan	University of Chicago: Booth
10	Dartmouth College: Tuck	University of Chicago: Booth	University of California, Berkeley: Haas	University of California, Berkeley: Haas	IESE Business School

Notably, European hegemony within the top five is due to the fact that institutes like Wharton, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, UC Berkeley, and Stanford GSB chose not to compete in the latest FT rankings. This occurred after GMAC and two accreditation agencies asked ranking organizations in April 2020 to pause their rankings due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. The Yale School of Management and the Booth School of Business also feature amongst the top five. This year, 50 per cent of the top ten global business schools have their primary campuses in the United States. Amongst the top twenty, the ratio of the number of American and European business schools is the same (nine each). Fill out this short survey and help InsideIIM select India's top business schools in 2021!

---

Here's What We Recommend You Read Next

• India's Most Desirable Business Schools | InsideIIM MBA Rankings 2020
• Top-Ranked STEM MBA Programs, And How Much They Cost
• The Top 20 Consulting Firms To Work With After MBA - InsideIIM Recruitment Rankings