Freeman climbs to No. 46 in Fortune MBA ranking

Note: As of Feb. 20, 2026, Fortune revised its originally published ranking of MBA programs due to a technical issue on its part, resulting in the Freeman School being ranked No. 46.

Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business rose to No. 46 in Fortune’s 2026 ranking of Best Business Schools and MBA Programs.

Fortune evaluates business schools based on multiple criteria, including student outcomes, academic quality, program stability and cost. Student outcomes make up the largest share of ranking criteria, with median base salary, employment placement rate and graduation rate accounting for 55% of each school’s score. Freeman's rise in this year's ranking was based in part on strong placement results coupled with a more than $7,000 increase in median base salary. 

“This ranking reflects what matters the most to us, the success of our graduates,” said Paulo Goes, Freeman School dean. “With more than 90% of graduates employed within three months and a significant increase in median base salary, Freeman students are seeing strong returns on their MBA investment.”

This year's improvement continues Freeman’s upward momentum. The full-time MBA program jumped 27 points in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking over the last two years and recorded the largest increase in return on investment among programs in the most recent Bloomberg Businessweek ranking.

The Freeman School’s full-time MBA program offers a rigorous curriculum built on data-driven decision making, cross-functional experiential learning and broad-based preparation for the future of business. In addition to a highly integrated data sequence and consulting capstone project, students can pursue optional concentrations in business analytics, finance, marketing, strategy and innovation, and energy and sustainability.

For more information about the Freeman School's full-time MBA program, visit freeman.tulane.edu/mba.