10 MBA Programs With the Highest Percentage of International Students
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When it comes to earning an MBA, students from across the globe have their sights set on the U.S.
In fact, more than half of prospective MBA students from around the world want to study outside of their home country, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council. Among them, the U.S. is a top choice, with 66 percent hoping to gain admission to an American institution.
[Discover how to master the interview as an international MBA candidate.]
These 10 business schools should give those U.S.-bound students plenty of company. At these 10 schools, an average 63 percent of 2014 MBA-seekers arrived from other countries. That's compared with an average 33 percent among all 126 ranked schools reporting that figure to U.S. News.
Three-quarters of the 156-person student body at the University of California--Riverside were from outside the U.S. -- the most of any school reporting data. Syracuse University was close behind, with nearly 70 percent of its 2014 MBA students hailing from beyond the border.
[Learn how to jump common hurdles for international MBA applicants.]
Interestingly, U.S. students were the least likely to crave an international MBA, with just 5 percent dreaming of pursuing a business degree abroad, according to GMAC.
The following business schools had the highest percentage of full-time international students for fall 2014. Schools designated by U.S. News as Unranked were excluded from this list. U.S. News did not calculate numerical ranks for Unranked programs because they did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires.
Business school (name) (state) | Full-time enrollment (fall 2014) | Percentage of international students | U.S. News b-school rank |
|---|---|---|---|
156 | 75% | RNP* | |
73 | 69.9% | 90 | |
283 | 67.1% | 91 (tie) | |
80 | 66.3% | RNP | |
378 | 65.1% | 62 | |
117 | 61.5% | RNP | |
154 | 59.1% | RNP | |
102 | 54.9% | 63 (tie) | |
75 | 54.7% | 48 (tie) | |
24 | 54.2% | RNP |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of all business schools. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Business School Compass to find international student data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 464 schools for our 2014 survey of business programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Business Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The international student data above are correct as of Aug. 4, 2015.
Susannah Snider is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at ssnider@usnews.com.
