Wharton’s was named the top EMBA program by U.S. News & World Report for a fourth straight year
The top of the U.S. News & World Report executive MBA ranking, released today (April 7), has a familiar look.
The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School is No. 1 again, extending its hold on the top spot to four consecutive years. The current run dates back to the 2023 ranking, when Wharton moved up from No. 2. It has not budged since.
Wharton’s staying power at No. 1 is not hard to explain. The program operates across two campuses – Philadelphia and San Francisco – giving students direct access to both the East Coast finance corridor and the West Coast tech ecosystem. Its curriculum blends a traditional core with a wide range of electives and global modular courses, while the cohort structure emphasizes peer learning among senior executives with significant leadership experience. Add in one of the largest and most active alumni networks in business education, along with consistently strong career outcomes for EMBA graduates, and University of Pennsylvania Wharton has built a model that continues to resonate with both applicants and employers.
See Poets&Quants’ 2025-2026 U.S. EMBA ranking here.
U.S. NEWS’ TOP 10 EXECUTIVE MBA PROGRAMS OF 2026
| Rank | School Name | State | Public/Private | Previous Rank | Change |
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | PA | Private | 1 |
– |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) | MA | Private | 10 |
+8 |
| 2 | University of Chicago (Booth) | IL | Private | 3 |
+1 |
| 4 | Northwestern University (Kellogg) | IL | Private | 2 |
-2 |
| 4 | University of California, Berkeley (Haas) | CA | Public | 6 |
+2 |
| 6 | Columbia University | NY | Private | 4 |
-2 |
| 7 | University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson) | CA | Public | 9 |
+2 |
| 7 | Yale University | CT | Private | 15 |
+8 |
| 9 | Cornell University (Johnson) | NY | Private | 17 |
+8 |
| 9 | Duke University (Fuqua) | NC | Private | 5 |
-4 |
| 9 | New York University (Stern) | NY | Private | 8 |
-1 |
| 9 | University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) | NC | Public | 14 |
+5 |
Source: U.S. News & World Report
MOVEMENT ACROSS THE TOP 10
Behind Wharton, though, the order has shifted in ways that can’t be ignored.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management makes the biggest move at the top, jumping a remarkable eight places to tie for No. 2. MIT Sloan shares that position with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, which moved up one spot. Last year’s runner-up, the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, drops to fourth, where it is joined by the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business, up two places.
The reshuffling continues through the rest of the top 10. The Columbia University Columbia Business School slips two places to No. 6. The University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management climbs to No. 7, where it is joined by the Yale University Yale School of Management, another big mover with an eight-place jump.
At No. 9, four programs share the spot. The Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business rises eight places, while the Duke University Fuqua School of Business falls four. The New York University Stern School of Business slides one place, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School rises five.
Several programs posted nearly identical jumps, emphasizing how tightly grouped many EMBA programs are.
SHARP DECLINES LOWER DOWN
MIT Sloan’s eight-place rise is matched by Yale SOM, Cornell Johnson, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, which moves from No. 21 to No. 13. In each case, relatively small changes in underlying data appear to have translated into large changes in position.
But there is just as much movement in the opposite direction. The University of Michigan Ross School of Business drops six places to No. 13, and the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business falls four to No. 16. Further down, the changes are more dramatic.
The Fordham University Gabelli School of Business falls from No. 13 to No. 39. Marquette University drops from No. 16 to No. 59, while Xavier University moves from No. 21 to No. 59. Loyola University Chicago declines from No. 21 to No. 69, and University of San Francisco falls from No. 28 to No. 79. Seattle University records the steepest drop, from No. 20 to No. 84.
NEWCOMERS AND A COMPRESSED MIDDLE
Several schools enter or return to the ranking, adding to the churn in the middle.
The Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management appears at No. 15. The Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business both come in at No. 19.
A large group of programs tied at No. 21 includes new or returning names such as the Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business and the Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School. The number of ties at multiple points in the ranking reinforces how little separates many programs once the data are compiled.
See the complete 2026 EMBA ranking from U.S. News on the following pages.
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