A reality check: If you’re thinking about an executive MBA, you’re looking at a heft investment. Even the least expensive programs from our latest EMBA ranking of the best U.S. programs will set you back at least $50,000.
For the prestige of a premier program, and all the perks that come with it, you’re looking at prices at least twice that amount. Total cost at one of the top five programs costs an average $210,443. The most expensive program in our ranking, Columbia Business School, comes in at $228,480.
Now for the good news: The career coaching, professional networks, and resume boosts an EMBA brings can lead to significant career advancements in future years. The Executive MBA Council found that 14.7% of students exiting an EMBA program in 2021 reported getting a raise by the time they exited the program (typically between 16 and 20 months). Another 36% of students reported receiving a promotion, while 49% reported receiving more responsibilities in their jobs, and average compensation rose from $166,549 at the start of their programs to $190,989 at the end.
See the chart below for a breakdown of cost at the top 10 schools in our ranking. (Comparisons for all 61 schools can be found on the following pages.)
MOST EXPENSIVE EMBAs BY TOTAL COST
While there are multiple factors to consider when evaluating EMBA programs, Poets&Quants for Execs is here to shed some light on at least one variable: Total cost.
We scoured through school websites to find the tuition data on all of the 58 schools on our 2022-2023 Executive MBA ranking. Not surprisingly, several of the top-ranked programs are among the most expensive. Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management (ranked No. 1), for example, costs a whopping $226,638, but isn’t even the most expensive. That honor goes to Columbia Business School which slipped one spot in our ranking to No. 2 and costs $228,480 for its 20-month program. Programs at The Wharton School (ranked No. 12), NYU Stern (No. 4), Cornell Johnson (No. 15), and Yale SOM (No. 5) all cost more than $200,000.
The average cost of an EMBA from our ranked schools is $126,517, up 2.5% from the last time we compiled the total cost list. Then, the average of all ranked programs was $123,415.
HUNTING FOR EMBA BARGAINS
All other factors disregarded – location, program focus, tuition support, etc.. – if you’re looking for more of a bargain in your executive MBA, consider the 10 schools in the chart below.
BYU’s Marriott School (No 39) is again the least expensive of all of our ranked EMBA programs at $51,518, up nearly 3% from last year’s class ($50,018). Kennesaw State (Coles) (No. 56) comes in at $57,500 while Auburn (Harbert) (No. 61) is $62,790.
The highest ranked school on the bargain list is University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business (No. 19) which costs $74,750.
Bargain hunters should also check out P&Q’s 10 Best Executive MBA Programs Under $100K for a deeper look into programs that offer a good return on investment based on rank and price. In all, there are 20 programs that cost less than $100,000 in this year’s ranking.
NEXT PAGE: Top 25 EMBA Program Costs For 2022-2023