The Princeton Review Releases Inaugural Online MBA Rankings

The new ranking is topped by UNC - Kenan-Flagler, IU - Kelley, and IE Business School

Test-prep firm The Princeton Review has published its first ever ranking of online MBA programs.

The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill leads the ranking. The Princeton Review reports that the mean base salary for UNC's most recent online MBA class is $112,102.

Kenan-Flagler is followed by Indiana University at Bloomington's Kelley School of Business, which offers an online MBA program through its distance education arm, Kelley Direct. 

Spain's IE Business School, which has offered an online MBA program since 2003, takes the third spot. IE is the only non-US business school among the 25 ranked. Its Global MBA program is ranked as the number one online program globally in the 2015 edition of The Financial Times' Online MBA ranking.

In the new ranking from The Princeton Review, IE is followed by Arizona State University's Carey School of Business; Temple University's Fox School of Business rounds out the top-five.

Notably, the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which stopped running its online MBA program last year after a merger with ASU - Carey, comes in at position number eight.

(See the complete list of the top 25 schools below.)

To rank the schools, the publication graded them on five criteria: academics, selectivity, faculty, technical platforms, and career outcomes. Only MBA programs that delivered at least 75 percent of the program online were considered for the ranking.

Although this is the first time that the publication has ranked online MBA programs, The Princeton Review has been ranking undergraduate programs and other graduate programs for many years. It has published an annual ranking of business schools since 2005.

For more on MBA rankings, please see FIND MBA's Rankings page.

Here's a list of the top 25 online MBA programs ranked by The Princeton Review:

  1. UNC - Kenan-Flagler
  2. IU - Kelley
  3. IE Business School
  4. ASU - Carey
  5. Temple - Fox
  6. University of Florida - Hough Graduate School of Business
  7. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) - Saunders College of Business
  8. Thunderbird School of Global Management
  9. The University of Texas at Dallas - Jindal School of Management
  10. Northeastern University - D'Amore-McKim School of Business
  11. James Madison University
  12. Auburn University - Auburn College of Business
  13. University of North Dakota
  14. University of North Texas (UNT) - College of Business
  15. Hofstra University - Zarb School of Business
  16. University of South Dakota - Beacom School of Business
  17. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  18. Syracuse University - Whitman School of Management
  19. George Washington University - GW School of Business
  20. North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management
  21. University of West Georgia - Richards College of Business
  22. State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego
  23. The University of Memphis - Fogelman College of Business and Economics
  24. University of Nevada, Reno - College of Business
  25. Washington State University - College of Business

Photo credits:

  • Header: "The McColl Building - UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School" by Brisam / Creative Commons (cropped, rotated)
  • Body: The IE Business School campus in Madrid / Courtesy IE Business School

Related Business Schools

Washington, District of Columbia 32 Followers 7 Discussions
Rochester, New York 8 Followers 1 Discussion
Carrollton, Georgia 4 Followers 1 Discussion
Boston, Massachusetts 25 Followers 4 Discussions
Reno, Nevada 3 Followers 0 Discussions
Syracuse, New York 16 Followers 5 Discussions
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 36 Followers 22 Discussions
Raleigh, North Carolina 17 Followers 1 Discussion
Vermillion, South Dakota 2 Followers 7 Discussions
Memphis, Tennessee 5 Followers 0 Discussions
Auburn, Alabama 4 Followers 0 Discussions
Tempe, Arizona 25 Followers 16 Discussions
Lincoln, Nebraska 4 Followers 8 Discussions
Hempstead, New York 15 Followers 2 Discussions
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 25 Followers 6 Discussions
Bloomington, Indiana 40 Followers 35 Discussions
Richardson, Texas 32 Followers 6 Discussions
Pullman, Washington 7 Followers 6 Discussions
Madrid, Spain 105 Followers 34 Discussions
Glendale, Arizona 22 Followers 15 Discussions
Denton, Texas 11 Followers 0 Discussions

More Online MBA News

Apr 17, 2024

Should you consider getting a micro-credential?

Apr 17, 2024

More Online MBA News

Online MBA Articles

How to Increase the Chances of Getting an MBA Scholarship

Nov 28, 2024

An online degree does not have to automatically mean a large financial burden if you research the assistance that is available from a variety of sources. Universities to your employer could help you uncover opportunities to fund your education.

Building a Strong Brand as an Online MBA Student

Nov 08, 2024

A physical presence in a classroom isn't required to build a professional reputation during your degree. From connecting with classmates to increasing your social media presence, there's a variety of ways to cultivate your brand.

Maximizing Your Online MBA: Why Joining Student Clubs Matters

Oct 28, 2024

Connecting with fellow students outside of the classroom has multiple benefits for your career, from strengthening expertise in your field to building a larger network.

More Articles

Related Top 10 Lists

More Top 10 Lists