SMU Cox FTMBA Ranks Among Fortune's Top 25

Dallas (SMU) Feb. 20, 2026 – The Cox School of Business ranks No. 25 in the nation in Fortune magazine’s “Best Business Schools and MBA Programs for 2026,” published Feb. 17. SMU Cox rose five points, up from No. 30 last year. The publication’s methodology is based entirely on quantitative data submitted by participating business schools from across the nation. Salary and employment are weighted heavily in this ranking, which looks at career placement data for the Class of 2024 Two-Year Full-Time MBA. According to the publication, the methodology is designed to “emphasize real-world return on investment for MBA candidates.” Academic quality, selectivity, program stability and cost also factor in the methodology.   

In this year’s ranking, the publication weights compensation and career placement/employment data for the nation’s Class of 2024 FTMBA graduates at 45%. The publication added together the compensation and career placement data with each school’s cumulative graduation rates from the classes of 2021-2025, weighting them at 10% to comprise the ranking’s “student outcomes” section, and accounting for a combined 55% of the ranking’s methodology. The median base salary of Cox FTMBA graduates in 2024 was $129,150, and Cox School FTMBA students had a cumulative graduation rate from 2021 to 2025 of 98%. Find additional Cox School FTMBA statistics here.  

“Academic quality” in the Fortune ranking weights at a total of 25%. That total includes admissions data for two-year FTMBAs who entered each school in fall 2025: 10% for GMAT scores; 5% for average undergrad GPA; 5% for acceptance rate; and 5% for yield rate.  

The Fortune ranking factors “program stability and scale” at 15% total. Two data points inform stability and scale: the size of each school’s 2025 traditional two-year FTMBA graduation class, which is weighted at 10%; and the one-year retention rate of students who entered their two-year FTMBA programs in fall 2024 and returned in fall 2025—which counts for 5% in the publication’s methodology.

Program cost factors in at 5% in Fortune’s “Best Business Schools and MBA Programs for 2026” ranking. For purposes of this ranking, the publication considers the total out-of-state tuition cost for each school’s two-year FTMBA degree program. Schools with lower tuition programs score higher in this category. 

Fortune’s “Best Business Schools and MBA Programs for 2026” ranks 72 schools this year, and according to the publication’s editorial team, “prioritizes measurable career outcomes, particularly compensation and employment success, while still recognizing academic strength, competitiveness, and program stability.” The editorial team includes admissions metrics, they say, to “help contextualize the competitiveness and academic caliber of each program’s student body. We believe this balanced methodology offers prospective students a clear, transparent, and outcomes-focused framework for comparing MBA programs.” 

Learn more about the SMU Cox Full-Time Two Year MBA program and upcoming admissions events by visiting: Full-Time MBA Admissions | SMU Cox School of Business.

About SMU Cox

The Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU Cox) is committed to influencing the way the world conducts business via prolific research that provokes innovation, change and global thought leadership. SMU Cox offers a full range of business education programs including B.B.A., Full-Time MBA, Professional MBA (part-time), Executive MBA, MBA Direct (online, for early-career professionals), Online MBA, Master of Science degree programs, graduate certificate programs, and Executive Education. In 2020, the Cox School celebrated 100 years of business education at SMU. Consistently ranked among the world’s leading business schools, SMU Cox maintains an active alumni network globally. SMU Cox is accredited by AACSB, the leading U.S.-based organization for global business school accreditation. 

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Media Contact: Anna Martinez
214-768-4474
annam@smu.edu