EDITORIAL
Stronger global engagement may help Indian B-schools improve diversity and alumni outcomes
Three Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)—IIM Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Calcutta—are among the world’s top 100, according to The QS Global MBA and Business Master’s Rankings 2027. But they have slipped in position, with sharply weaker scores for financial returns offsetting gains in employability and academic standing. QS analysed the world’s over 420 best global MBAs and a series of specialised, high-demand Business Master’s Rankings across 65 countries and regions, including master’s in management, finance, marketing, business analytics and supply chain management. QS said Indian business schools faced stronger competition from global peers, particularly in Return on Investment, Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes, and Diversity. At the same time, 10 Indian entries improved their performance on the Thought Leadership lens.
The United States dominated the top of the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027, with the four highest-ranked programmes in the world. MIT Sloan moved up from third last year to first, while Penn Wharton, which topped the 2026 ranking, slipped to fourth. Harvard retained its second position, and Stanford improved from fourth to third. IIM Bangalore remains India’s highest-ranked MBA provider, but has fallen 12 places to joint 64th. IIM Ahmedabad has also dropped 12 places to joint 70th, while IIM Calcutta has fallen quite a bit. They remain India’s only three MBA entries in the global top 100. The rankings, released on Wednesday, feature 28 Indian institutions across the MBA and five specialised master’s tables, trailing the US (150 entries), the UK (42), and France (35).
The QS rankings use five broad areas to assess MBA programmes: employability, value for money, alumni outcomes, thought leadership and diversity. Employability carries the highest weight at 40 per cent, followed by value for money at 20 per cent, alumni outcomes and thought leadership at 15 per cent each, and diversity at 10 per cent. Employability remains a principal strength for India’s leading programmes. IIM Bangalore retains 29th place globally on this measure and is second in Asia. Ahmedabad ranks 35th and Calcutta 39th, substantially ahead of their overall positions. Bangalore also ranks 16th globally for employability in the specialised business analytics table. With 19 entries in 2027, the total number of entries from India has more than tripled in the seven years since 2020, when five Indian schools featured in the ranking. Among the new entrants are O P Jindal Global University, Jaipuria Institute of Management, School of Business and Management at ‘Christ’ (Deemed to be University). For Indian institutions this year, global peers are outpacing them in key areas such as return on investment and entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, said QS president Nunzio Quacquarelli.
Unlike US, UK, or French business schools—where international students and faculty represent 40% to 70% of the class—IIM cohorts remain overwhelmingly domestic, and historically dominated by engineering backgrounds. This lack of cross-border mobility, international faculty recruitment, and gender parity pulls down institutional scores on the QS diversity metric. Indian Institutes of Management must transition from high-performing regional placement engines into globally integrated institutions.
Experts say that India will have to offer competitive cross-border research chairs, global exchange terms, and streamlined visa pathways to bring international faculty and students into cohort discussions. This will also directly help strengthen the institutional diversity score. The other suggestions include deepening joint-degree partnerships where students spend their second year at top-tier American, European, or Asian business schools, graduating with dual credentials and global alumni access.
