3 IIMs among world’s top 100 B-schools

Indian business schools have made a strong mark on the global stage. In the newly-released QS Global MBA Rankings 2026, three of the country’s top management institutes, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Calcutta, have broken into the world’s top 100. IIM Bangalore led the pack at 52nd place, followed by IIM Ahmedabad at 58 and IIM Calcutta at 64. In total, 14 Indian B-schools found a place in the global list, a sign of India’s growing weight in management education.

In fact, this is for the first time ever that Indian institutes have also appeared in the QS Online MBA Rankings, marking another milestone for the country’s B-schools. And in the QS Business Master’s Rankings, India shone brightly: IIM Bangalore ranked 7th worldwide for its Postgraduate Management programme, with IIM Ahmedabad at 11th and IIM Calcutta at 12th.

Other institutes also earned global recognition. IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, and Indore made it to the top 50 in various categories. Meanwhile, TAPMI grabbed attention by debuting at 22nd place globally for return on investment, showing the strong value Indian B-schools offer students. There were some gaps too. Despite big strides in management, no Indian school made it to the top 200 in finance programmes this year.

Globally, the usual heavyweights continue to dominate. Stanford Graduate School of Business held the top spot, followed by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (2nd) and Harvard Business School (3rd).

The QS rankings are one of the most trusted guides for students and employers worldwide, weighing factors such as employability, value for money, alumni success, and diversity. With more Indian names climbing these charts, students looking to pursue an MBA in India now have a wider range of globally recognised programmes to choose from.

GLOBAL MBA RANKINGS

* Penn (Wharton)

* Harvard Business School

* MIT (Sloan)

* Stanford Graduate School of Business

* HEC Paris

* London Business School

* Cambridge (Judge)

* INSEAD

* Northwestern (Kellogg)

* Columbia Business School