QS Ranks UC Davis Full-Time MBA among Top 25 at U.S. Public Universities

The Full-Time MBA at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management ranks among the top 25 programs at U.S. public universities, in the top 50 overall and among the top third for employability of graduates, according to the 2025 QS MBA rankings released September 25, 2024.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) describes itself as the world's largest global higher education network, connecting universities, business schools and students. 

The UC Davis Full-Time MBA is ranked:

• 43^rd in the U.S (up three places vs. last year)
   
• 23^rd among MBA programs at U.S. public universities
   
• 37^th for Employability. The metric is based on responses from tens of thousands global employers over the last five years in addition to the percentage of recent graduates who accepted job offers three months post graduation.

QS rated 122 full-time MBA programs in the U.S. based on five weighted factors:

• Employability (40%)
• Return on Investment (20%)
• Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes (15%)
• Thought Leadership (15%)
• Class (Student) and Faculty Diversity (10%)

On Thought Leadership, QS ranked the Graduate School of Management's faculty among the top 15% globally for research impact, a measure of citations per paper published in top business and management journals.

More QS Business School Rankings

UC Davis MSBA No. 1 Globally for ROI

The UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics is once again the No. 1 program in the world for return on investment for the degree, an honor it has held for the third consecutive year, according to the 2025 QS Global Business Masters rankings.

In addition, QS ranked the UC Davis MSBA:

• No. 4 globally for “Value for the Money”—the sixth year in the top 10—as measured by tuition costs, salary growth, opportunity costs, career progression and payback period.
   
• No. 16 in the U.S. and No. 37 globally among the 164 programs considered.
   
• No. 1 in the world for gender balance of students, which represents the percentage of women.

UC Davis Online MBA Top 10 in U.S., Top 15 Globally

Earlier this year, QS ranked the UC Davis Online MBA program No. 7 in North America and No. 13 globally in their rankings released on April 24, 2024. It was second consecutive year that QS has ranked the UC Davis Online MBA among the top 10 in North America/The Americas. 

More UC Davis Rankings: Top 10 Public University for 4th Year

Earlier this week, U.S. News & World Report ranked the UC Davis campus at No. 9 among public universities in the U.S. It is the fourth consecutive year the campus has been ranked among the media company’s top 10 public universities; over the past 10 years, it has been among the top 12.

UC Davis continues to score high in the most prestigious college rankings for its quality of education, impact of its research and the social mobility it offers students. 

“This ranking from U.S. News and World Report reflects our bedrock commitment to student success,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “UC Davis empowers students from every background with world-class educational opportunities, preparing them for careers and service to their communities.”

UC Davis Position on Rankings: Weigh All Factors

A world-class university, UC Davis is highly ranked for how it transforms students’ lives, the impact of its research, the excellence of its academic programs, sustainability and more. The university performs self-evaluations and also appreciates the value of third-party assessments.

However, ranking methods vary, change over time and can be subjective. UC Davis focuses on those rankings that most closely align with its mission and values—including serving the public good, inclusiveness and equity, and social mobility—and in national rankings looks most closely at its standing among public universities.

UC Davis encourages prospective students and their families to weigh rankings among other factors in their college decision, talk with counselors and UC Davis admissions advisors, and, if possible, visit the campus.