QS International Trade Rankings 2026 results

ASU leads the Master’s and MBA Rankings

Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management maintains top position in the master’s and MBA table of the QS International Trade Rankings 2026, despite new entrants challenging their position.

The National University of Singapore, debuting in 2nd, performs strongly in the Industry Engagement indicator, while Durham University, debuting in 3rd, is ranked =2 for Trade Programme Content alongside Arizona State University. INSEAD, another new entrant, is 4th, and Cranfield University, based in the UK, is 5th.

The QS International Trade Rankings 2026: Master’s and MBA programmes top 10

1. Arizona State University, US

2. National University of Singapore, Singapore

3. Durham University, UK

4. INSEAD, France

5. Cranfield University, UK

6. IMD, Switzerland

7. The University of Sydney, Australia

=8. Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain

=8. University of Cambridge, UK

10. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Regional performance

US and Canada

The US is home to 12 ranked business schools, including three of the world’s 20 best. After Arizona State University, Columbia University has the US’ second highest ranked programme, in 11th. Tufts University and Florida International University debuted this year, placing 12th and 21st respectively.  

In Canada, University of Toronto ranks first in our Industry Engagement metric and ranking 13th overall. Université de Montréal debuts at joint 38th.

UK

The UK has three entries in the top 10, all of which are new this year. Durham University ranks third best in the world, boasting exceptional performance in Graduate Outcomes and Trade Programme Content, placing second globally for these indicators.  

Cranfield University is the UK’s second highest ranked, placing fifth. Its MBA programme enjoys high scores in Trade Programme Content and Research indicators.  

The University of Cambridge places joint eighth globally, ranking sixth best in the Reputation indicator. However, globally, the best performers in the Reputation indicator are the University of Oxford (14th overall) and London Business School (28^th overall), both ranking joint top in the world for this indicator. The University of Oxford is also second best in the world in the Industry Engagement indicator.

Australia and New Zealand

Two New Zealand business schools are ranked. The University of Auckland Business School places 41st globally and the University of Wellington is ranked 99th.  

Six Australian institutions feature. The University of Sydney Business School is home to Australia’s best International Trade programme, placing seventh globally, up one place from last year. This success is driven by a strong Reputation and Innovative Teaching.

Continental Europe

38 business schools from across Continental Europe and Ireland are ranked. France is the most represented country, with nine courses ranked. In total, seven entries from the region debut this year and 18 programmes rank in the global top 50.

INSEAD in France is continental Europe’s highest-ranked, debuting at fourth globally, driven by its strong performance in the Reputation indicator. It is followed by Switzerland’s IMD, ranking sixth, and Universitat Ramon Llull in Spain, which enters for the first time at joint eighth.  

Rome Business School, which ranks 26th overall, is the world’s best for Graduate Outcomes.

Asia

There are 19 Asian institutions ranked, though Singapore is the only location to have a top 10 entry, and Mainland China only features once in the top 20.

The National University of Singapore is ranked 2nd overall, and ranks 5th globally in Industry Engagement, and 14^th for Graduate Outcomes. China Europe International Business School is Mainland China’s best entry, debuting at 17^th, and performing strongly in Trade Programme Content and Industry Engagement.

The Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad is India’s top performer, and the fourth best ranked institution in Asia. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) ranks 64th – the first time any Malaysian institution has featured in this Ranking. Jeonbuk National University is South Korea’s first entry, ranking 101+.  

QS International Trade Rankings 2026: Executive MBA programmes

Our Ranking of the world’s best Executive MBAs for International Trade features 30 programmes across 14 countries and territories. The US is the most represented country in this ranking, followed by France and the UK.

Fast facts:  

• The University of Cambridge maintains its leading position in the executive MBA ranking, boasting outstanding scores across six indicators, including the best performing institution in industry engagement and third best for reputation.

• London Business School ranks second place overall, up one position from last year, and maintains its perfect score in the Reputation indicator and improves in Graduate Outcomes and Trade Programme Content.

• Like the UK, the US has three entries in the top 10 this year. Columbia University is the country’s best performing, rising two places to rank third. Georgia Institute of Technology (5th) and Cornell University (6th) also appear in the top 10.

• INSEAD (France) is continental Europe’s best performing entry, ranking at fourth in the world. It maintains the top position in the innovative teaching indicator and improves in programme content.

• Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Calcutta is the country’s first and only entry in the Ranking, achieving an outstanding result placing at eighth in the world. Other new entries this year include University of Miami (14th) and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (17th).