3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 29, 2026 03:44 PM IST
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore has ranked the highest among Indian institutions in the QS Executive MBA rankings 2026, but recorded a sharp fall of 14 ranks compared to the previous year. IIM Bangalore ranked 64th globally this year, the institute’s lowest rank so far. It is, however, the only Indian institute in the top 100.
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Global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds released the rankings Wednesday.
IIM Bangalore’s descent has been steady over the last four years, falling from 43rd in 2023 to 50th in 2025. In between, it rose to 41st in 2024.
Asked about the drop in IIM Bangalore’s ranking, QS, in a statement, said, “IIM Bangalore’s 14-place decline in this year’s EMBA (Executive MBA) rankings is primarily driven by weaker performance in Career Outcomes, down 22 places year-on-year, alongside a more moderate five-place drop in Employability.”
“Both indicators reflect graduate outcomes such as salary progression, promotions, and impact within their organisations or sectors, which in turn influence employer perceptions and institutional reputation.”
“However, this does not capture the full picture. Intensifying global competition, particularly at the top of the table, has also played a role. For example, the entry of three newly ranked programmes above IIM Bangalore, has a cascading effect, pushing established institutions lower despite relatively stable underlying performance,” it added.
On the ‘career outcomes’ parameter, IIM Bangalore scored 76.3 this year, down from 87.1 last year.
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India’s presence in top 200
Six other Indian institutions have made it to the executive MBA rankings this year, including three IIMs: Indian School of Business (111-120 rank band, same as last year), IIM Kozhikode (151-160 rank band, marginally better than 161-170 last year), IIM Indore (161-170, up from 181-90 last year), Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad (191-200, down from 181-190 last year), and Woxsen School of Business, Hyderabad (191-200, same as last year). IIM Ranchi has made the rankings as a new entrant this year, at 201+.
Global and regional leaders
Globally, the top institution in the executive MBA rankings is the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, followed by HEC Paris and MIT Sloan School of Management.
The National University of Singapore Business School is the highest-ranked institution in Asia-Pacific. City University of Hong Kong makes its first appearance in the rankings, ranking 58th.
Among Asia-Pacific countries, China is the most represented, with 8 institutions featured in the rankings, led by Peking University HSBC Business School at rank 47.
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Executive MBA programmes are intended for students pursuing a business career who combine full-time work with their studies, according to QS. For the rankings, QS considers indicators such as employer reputation, academic reputation, the percentage of graduates promoted, the mean percentage salary increase after graduation, and the student-gender ratio.
