All participating business schools must meet the FT’s strict entry criteria. They have to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or Equis, and their programmes must have run for four consecutive years. At least 70 per cent of the content must be delivered online. The participants must also pass a selection process before enrolling and an examination process before graduating.

Data collection was carried out via two online surveys: the first was completed by participating schools; and the second was completed by alumni who finished their Online MBAs in 2020.

The ranking is based on 20 criteria. Alumni responses inform nine criteria that, together, contribute 59 per cent of the total weight. Another 10 criteria are based on the school data, accounting for 31 per cent. The remaining criterion, the research rank, counts for 10 per cent.

Salary today US$ (12%): average alumni salary three years after completion, $ PPP equivalent. 

Salary increase (12%): percentage increase in alumni salary in the current job versus three years ago on completion of programme. 

Value for money (4%): calculated according to alumni’s salary, tuition, fees and other costs.

Career progress (4%): progression in alumni’s level of seniority and the size of the organisation they now work for, versus three years ago on completion of programme.

Aims achieved (4%): the extent to which alumni fulfilled their goals for taking an online MBA. 

Careers service (4%): effectiveness of the school careers service, in terms of career counselling, personal development, networking events and recruitment, as rated by their alumni.

Programme delivery (5%): how alumni rate the online delivery of live teaching sessions, other teaching materials, and online exams.

Online interaction (10%): how alumni rate the interaction between students, teamwork, and the availability of faculty. 

Sector diversity rank (2%): calculated according to the diversity of sectors the students worked in at the time of admission, before the MBA.

Female faculty (3%): percentage of full-time female members of faculty. 

Female students (3%): percentage of female students on the MBA programme.

Women on board (1%): percentage of female members on the school advisory board.

International faculty (4%): percentage of full-time faculty whose citizenship differs from their location of employment.

International students (4%): percentage of current students whose citizenship differs from the location of the school. 

International board (2%): percentage of the board whose citizenship differs from the location of the business school.

International mobility rank (4%): based on alumni citizenship and the locations where they worked before their MBA, on completion and three years after. 

Carbon footprint rank (4%): calculated using the net zero target year for carbon emissions set by the university and/or school, and the existence of a publicly available carbon emissions audit report since 2019. Extra credit is given to schools with an audit report that includes Scope 3 emissions (those not controlled directly by the school but which occur externally in its value chain as a result of its activities).

ESG and net zero teaching rank (3%): proportion of credits from core courses dedicated to ethical, social, and environmental issues and climate solutions that can enable organisations achieve net zero carbon emissions. Alumni evaluation of their school’s ESG teaching is also included.

Faculty with doctorates (5%): percentage of full-time faculty with a doctoral degree. 

FT research rank (10%): calculated according to the number of articles published by a school’s current full-time faculty members in 50 academic and practitioner journals between January 2021 to July 2023. The rank combines the absolute number of publications with the number weighted relative to the faculty’s size.

For the three gender-related criteria, schools that have 50:50 (male: female) composition receive the highest score.