MBA rankings provide prospective students with a way to compare different business schools based on various factors such as academic quality, reputation, alumni satisfaction, faculty expertise, career placement, and salary outcomes.

For students, these rankings can help them make informed decisions about where to pursue their MBA based on their personal and professional goals. High rankings can also enhance a school’s reputation, attracting top faculty and students, and potentially leading to increased funding and resources.

However, it’s important to note that rankings can vary depending on the criteria used and the methodology employed by different ranking organizations. Some rankings may prioritize certain factors over others, leading to discrepancies in the results. It’s always a good idea for prospective students to consider multiple sources of information and conduct their own research before making a decision.

Below are the major rankings for Australian MBAs for 2024.

2023 AFR Best Business Schools

The University of New South Wales has retained the top spot in the latest AFR Boss Best Business Schools ranking with the University of Melbourne and the Queensland University of Technology rounding out the the top three.

The Rankings assess nearly 40 Australian Business Schools across three categories: quality, reputation, and career impact. In 2022 the AFR BOSS Best Business Schools ranking replaced the BOSS MBA rankings and is the only domestic ranking of business schools in Australia.

The annual event ranks universities on various criteria, including reputation, career impact and salary prospects for graduates, and performance in the national evaluation, Excellence in Research for Australia, which effectively scores research against world-class benchmarks.

2024 FT Top 100 Global Rankings

The University of Sydney surged into the latest ranking of the world’s best MBA programs, with graduates’ strong career progression and high salaries helping it to secure the 63rd spot on the prestigious 2024 Financial Times global MBA rankings.

The University of Sydney was one of two Australian MBA programs securing a place on the ranking, with AGSM @ UNSW jumping from 95th last year to 79th this year.

The University of Sydney Business School’s MBA was the highest new entrant in the rankings and came 11th in the Asia-Pacific region.

This Financial Times Global MBA ranking features 100 of the world’s top full-time MBA programmes.

University of Sydney MBA graduates reported a salary of $US170,855 ($263,275), which was a 108% increase on their pre-MBA earnings. AGSM @ UNSW Global MBA graduates reported a salary of $US121,582 ($187,348), an increase of 47%.

Financial Times Online Rankings 2024

The AGSM@UNSW Business School has continued to collect accolades for its MBA programs, with the school’s online MBA program securing seventh spot on the latest ranking of the top online MBA programs in the world by UK-based Financial Times.

AGSM@UNSW was the only school in the Asia-Pacific recognised on the list, which was topped by Europe’s IE Business School.

The ranking data showed AGSM@UNSW online MBA graduates were earning an average of $US163,817 ($AUD249,126) three years after graduating. Graduates from the top-ranked IE Business School were taking home an average of $205,088 ($AUD311,889).

The $64,080 MBAx program is a unique part-time, fully flexible MBA that can be done entirely online, or you have the option to personalise your study experience by opting to attend face-to-face courses, or you can choose to study in a combination of these delivery modes. The program can be completed anywhere between two and six years.

(QS) 2024 Global Rankings

Melbourne Business School has secured another ranking accolade, taking the top spot for Australian business schools in the latest QS Global MBA Rankings.

The Melbourne MBA, which ranked 30th globally, edged out the University of New South Wales (Australian Graduate School of Management) (31st globally) and the University of Sydney Business School (50th globally).

MBA programs were ranked based on the indicators of employability, entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and diversity. The rankings assessed 318 programs across 48 countries.

The United States dominated the global rankings, with the top three schools all based in the US and half of the top 10. The other five schools are all either wholly or partly based in Europe, with INSEAD offering prospective students two possible campuses to choose from, one in Singapore and another in France.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2024 Global Online MBA Rankings

Four Australian online MBA programs secured a place on Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2024 Global Online MBA  global ranking, with the AGSM@UNSW Business School’s fully online MBAX securing fourth in the world.

Macquarie Business School’s online MBA program tied for 29th with an overall score of 66.7 while RMIT University’s online MBA was 38th with an overall score of 61.4 and la Trobe University ranked 52nd with a score of 54.3.

Imperial College Business School claims the top spot globally in this year’s ranking climbing above IE Business School and Warwick Business School, who jointly held it in 2023.​

LEARN MORE: AGSM MBAx Profile | Macquarie Online MBA | RMIT Online MBA

AGSM’s MBAX offers students the option between eight different specialisations including; Change, Finance, General, Law, Policy leadership, Social Impact, Sustainable and Inclusive Business & Technology. The program starts from $64,080.

CEO Magazine 2024 Global Rankings

Australian MBA programs performed extremely well in the CEO Magazine MBA Rankings 2024 with 11 different business schools achieving the coveted Tier 1 ranking.

CEO Magazine has been showcasing top business schools from around the globe since it first launched in 2008. In 2012 the publication launched its annual Global MBA Rankings, profiling MBA, Executive MBA programs.

This year, participation is up 13%, as CEO Magazine ranked 139 schools, offering 284 different programmes (92 online, 69 EMBA and 123 full-time and part-time MBA programmes) in 24 countries. The growth in the number of schools offering online MBAs was most noticeable, with 16 new programmes entering the rankings.

Australian MBAs securing Tier 1 ranking include Central Queensland University, Griffith University, La Trobe University, Macquarie Business School, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, Torrens University, University of South Australia, University of Western Australia, University of Wollongong (Sydney Business School), and Victoria University.

In the online MBA Rankings for 2024, Macquarie Business School ranked 16th, Griffith University ranked 18th, the University of South Australia was 19th, Torrens University was 22nd, the Australian Institute of Business was 25th, La Trobe was 33rd, Central Queensland University was 40th, Victoria University was 42nd, Swinburne was 61st, and the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) was 73rd.

In the Global Executive MBA (EMBA) Rankings for 2024, the University of Wollongong (Sydney Business School) ranked 20th, RMIT University ranked 36th.