Cranfield School of Management consistently performs well in the major school and programme specific rankings, reinforcing our position as a top global management school.
Accreditations
We are one of an elite group of schools worldwide to hold the triple accreditation of: AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), AMBA (the Association of MBAs) and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System of the European Foundation for Management Development).
In recognition of our outstanding student entrepreneurship provision and dedicated work with small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to support growth in the local community, we have also achieved Small Business Charter accreditation.
Rankings
Business School rankings
Financial Times
8th in the UK and 37th in Europe in the Financial Times European Business School Rankings 2023.
3rd in the UK and 6th in the world in the Business School Teaching Power Rankings 2021 compiled for the Financial Times.
MBA Programmes
MBA Full-time
The Financial Times
In the FT Global MBA Ranking 2024 we have been ranked:
- 80th in the world and UK top 10
- Top 10 in Europe and global Top 20 for Value For Money
- Top 10 in Europe and 22nd globally for Career Progress
- Top 5 in the UK for sector diversity in the classroom
- 3rd in UK for the percentage of female faculty and Top 5 for the percentage of female students
- UK Top Five and 16th in Europe for Alumni network
- Global number 1 (joint) for internationality of cohort
Bloomberg
Cranfield’s transformative Full-time MBA has been ranked 12th in Europe in Bloomberg Businessweek's Best B-Schools 2024-25:
- 1st in Europe for Learning
- 2nd in Europe for Entrepreneurship
- Top 7 in Europe for Networking
- 12th in Europe overall and 4th in UK
The Economist
In the WhichMBA? 2022 Full-time Rankings we have been ranked:
- 1st in the world for ratio of alumni to current students (part of “potential to network” ranking)
- 2nd in the UK and worldwide top 20 in the world for quality of faculty
- Top 3 in the UK for educational experience
- Top 5 in the UK for salary outcomes
- Top 20 worldwide for diversity of recruiters
- Top 50 worldwide for the personal development and educational experience
The Times Higher Education/Wall Street Journal
In the World University Rankings - Business School Report we have been ranked:
- Overall: 1st in the UK, 2nd in Europe, 7th in the world
- Engagement: 1st in the world
QS World University Rankings
In the QS Global MBA Rankings 2023 we have been ranked:
- Overall: 8th in the UK, top 29% worldwide
- Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes: Top 5 in the UK, No 14 in Europe and No 37 in the world
América Economia
In the América Economia Global MBA Rankings 2022 we have been ranked:
- 33rd in the world
- 2nd in the UK
- 5th in the world for innovation and entrepreneurship
Poets & Quants Top International MBA Programs of 2019-2020
- Overall: 21st in the world
Executive MBA
Financial Times
In the Financial Times ranking of Executive MBA programmes 2023
- Carbon Footprint: #1 in the UK (14th worldwide)
- Work Experience: 4th in the UK
- 8th best programme in UK
Cranfield is the only wholly UK-based School in this year’s FT rankings to offer an EMBA part-funded by the apprenticeship levy via the Senior Leader Apprenticeship standard.
Management MSc
QS World University Rankings
In the QS World University Rankings: Masters in Management ranking 2025 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Management MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 6th in the UK
- 2nd in the UK for return on investment
- 4th in the UK for enterprise and alumni outcomes
- 34th in the world
- 35th in the world for employability
- Top 100 globally for alumni outcomes, thought leadership and value for money
Financial Times
In the Financial Times Masters in Management 2024 ranking Cranfield School of Management's full-time Management MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 4th in the UK
- 58th in the world
- Top 5 in the UK for three-year average salary and salary growth
- 3rd in the UK for career progression
- 1st in the UK for international student experience
- 4th in the UK for overall satisfaction
The Economist
In The Economist WhichMBA? 2021 Masters in Management (MiM) ranking Cranfield School of Management’s Management MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 5th in the UK and 36th in the world
Finance MSc
Financial Times
7th in the UK and 49th in the world: Financial Times Masters in Finance 2024 Rankings
QS World University Rankings
In the QS World University Rankings: Masters in Finance Rankings 2025 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Finance MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 8th in the UK
- 56th in the world
- 38th in the world for employability
- Top 100 in the world for diversity, alumni outcomes and thought leadership
Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc
QS World University Rankings
In the QS World University Rankings: Masters in Supply Chain Management Rankings 2025 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 2nd in the UK
- 4th in the UK for enterprise and alumni outcomes
- 12th in the world
- 12th in the world for employability
Strategic Marketing MSc
QS World University Rankings
In the QS World University Rankings: Masters in Marketing Rankings 2025 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Strategic Marketing MSc achieved the following rankings:
- 5th in the UK
- 4th in the UK for enterprise and alumni outcomes
- 22nd in the world
- 12th in the world for employability
Executive Development
Cranfield School of Management is consistently ranked as one of the top 30 business schools in Europe for executive development.
In the Executive Education 2024 FT Rankings we are:
- Top 10 in UK
- Top 20 in Europe
- Top 25 in the world
- Top 15 for Follow Up
- Top 5 in the UK and Top 20 in the world for Overall Satisfaction
Research Degrees
The PhD Programme
REF 2014
The Cranfield PhD has an international reputation for quality and academic excellence. In December 2014 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) rated 84% of Cranfield's Business and Management research output as 'internationally recognised' or better for impact - 60% of this was 'world leading' (4*) and 24% 'internationally excellent' (3*).
22nd in the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014 ranking for Business and Management Studies.
Executive DBA Programme
Our Executive DBA is one of only a handful of DBA programmes worldwide to have been accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
CEO Magazine
Cranfield School of Management has been included in CEO Magazine's 2022 GLOBAL DBA LISTING of premier DBA providers. The listing is based upon accreditation, quality of faculty, geography, and international standing.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Cranfield University is number one in the UK and sixth in the world for its activities supporting the critical UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, which focuses on cross-sector and cross-country partnerships in pursuit of the SDGs. Cranfield has risen 25 places in this category from the 2023 rankings, demonstrating its deep strength and expertise in partnership working across sectors and borders.
For its overall work towards the SDGs, the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact ranking placed Cranfield in the global top 200 universities out of 1963 institutions, moving it up from the top 300 in 2023. This means that Cranfield is in the top 10% of all universities across the world for its sustainability work.
Employability
Cranfield was recognised by The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), 2023 as 8 in the UK for Employability.
As an exclusively postgraduate university, Cranfield University is excluded from Times Higher Education World Rankings, The Times World Rankings, The Complete University Guide and The Guardian, which focus on helping prospective undergraduate students to compare universities.
