Olin rises among US schools in new FT ranking

WashU Olin’s Full-Time MBA rose two places among US-based business schools—from 20th to 18th—in the latest ranking of global programs from the Financial Times, released on February 13.

This year’s ranking—the Financial Times’ 25th-anniversary edition—came with a substantial shift in its methodology—which included the addition of new categories and the shifting of category weights. Still, Olin stayed firm in its placement among global programs, with a drop of only two spots from 29 to 31.

The FT’s changes played out in a variety of ways. For example, Olin’s ranking for weighted salary improved from 47th to 37th at the same time the ranking decreased the weight for that category. Olin graduates on average saw salaries rise $18,460 to $162,694.

WashU Olin’s strong showing domestically and relative global stability came largely as a result of solid career outcomes for Olin graduates. For example, the dimension looking at salary percentage increase rose to 130% from 123% last year—and, again, the weighting for this category declined.

Meanwhile, in a new category called “sector diversity,” referring to the diversity of job sectors students worked in at the time of admission, Olin ranked ninth.

“Even as methodologies change, we value the affirmation this ranking provides of the education and experience we provide to Olin MBA students,” said Anjan Thakor, interim dean at WashU Olin. “We remain confident that we’re on the right track toward providing the foundation our students need to succeed as 21st-century leaders.”