U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Online Programs rankings, including online MBA programs.
Once again, Indiana University’s Kelley Direct Online MBA program leads the online MBA ranking. Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Online Hybrid MBA program and UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA@UNC Online MBA program traded places compared to last year, with the former moving from second to third and the latter moving from third to second. There is then a tie for fourth between the University of Washington Foster Hybrid MBA program and the University of Florida Online MBA.
“Indiana Kelley continues to dominate at #1, which is a testament to the fact they’ve been delivering a best-in-class online MBA experience for many years now,” says Clear Admit Co-founder, Graham Richmond. “In fact, their online program has been so successful that the school recently announced that full-time, in-person MBA students can now opt to pursue their second year remotely. It’s also noteworthy that, again, we see a pattern where the schools with top-20 ranked full-time, in-person MBAs tend to perform well in the online space as well, with the likes of: Indiana / Kelley, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, USC / Marshall, Michigan Ross and the University of Washington / Foster holding down six of the top 10 spots.”
The top 25 schools in this year’s edition (with prior years’ rankings included where available) are as follows:
| School | 2025 Rank | 2024 Rank | 2023 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University–Bloomington | 1 | 1 | 1 (tie) |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | 2 | 3 (tie) | 1 (tie) |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 3 | 2 | 5 (tie) |
| University of Washington | 4 (tie) | 3 (tie) | 5 (tie) |
| University of Florida | 4 (tie) | 6 | 4 |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | 6 | 16 (tie) | 18 |
| Arizona State University | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) |
| University of Southern California | 7 (tie) | 3 (tie) | 3 |
| University of Arizona | 7 (tie) | 7 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| University of Kansas | 7 (tie) | 9 (tie) | 7 (tie) |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 11 (tie) | 9 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| University of Texas–Dallas | 11 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 17 |
| Oklahoma State University | 11 (tie) | 16 (tie) | 27 |
| University of Maryland–College Park | 14 (tie) | 11 | 12 (tie) |
| Hofstra University | 14 (tie) | 29 | |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst | 16 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| University of South Florida | 16 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| University of Utah | 16 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| Ball State University | 16 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium | 20 (tie) | 12 (tie) | 9 (tie) |
| Kansas State University | 20 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| Florida State University | 20 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 44 |
| University of California–Davis | 20 (tie) | 42 | |
| University of Delaware | 20 (tie) | 29 | |
| Rice University | 25 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 12 (tie) |
| James Madison University | 25 (tie) | 18 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| Auburn University | 25 (tie) | 22 (tie) | 19 (tie) |
| University of Iowa | 25 (tie) | 29 |
Jump in the Line
While the top 10 looks very similar to last year, there are a few exceptions. First, the University of Michigan moved to #6 — a 10-spot jump from last year and great news for Ross. On the flip side, USC Marshall slipped four spots from a tie at #3 to a tie at #7.
Further down the ranking, Loyola University Maryland gained a whopping 91 spots since last year, landing at #29. USC Davis jumped 22 spots from #42 to #20 and Hofstra University jumped 15 slots into the #14 spot. Meanwhile, Penn State, Texas Tech, Washington State, Babson College, George Washington U. all fell more than 10 spots compared to last year.
A Note on Methodology
As with last year, U.S. News ranked online MBA programs using five categories:
- Engagement (30%): Promotion of participation in courses among students and instructors. Instructors lead an engaging atmosphere, are accessible and responsive.
- Peer Assessment (25%): High-ranking academic officials and employers weigh in through surveys to account for quality beyond statistics.
- Faculty Credentials and Training (15%): Instructors possess academic credentials that mirror those for campus-based programs.
- Student Excellence (15%): The students themselves are accomplished and ambitious. Judicious rewarding of degrees.
- Services and Technologies (15%): Diverse online learning technologies support flexibility for students to take classes from a distance. Learning assistance, career guidance and financial aid resources are offered outside of classes.
See here for more on the methodology behind the ranking.
Visit U.S. News for the full list of their ranking of online MBA programs.
