New Delhi: The Indian School of Business (ISB) has entered the global top five in LinkedIn’s Top MBA Programs 2025 list, climbing one spot from last year, while five of India’s premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) made it to the top 50.
The private business school credited the achievement to its deeply personalised career support system and globally active alumni network.
Globally, Stanford Graduate School of Business topped the list, followed by Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and The Wharton School, with ISB rounding out the top five.
LinkedIn’s rankings evaluate MBA programmes on five pillars: hiring and demand, ability to advance, network strength, leadership potential, and gender diversity. These insights are based on anonymized career outcomes from LinkedIn profiles of MBA graduates between 2019 and 2024.
Only full-time programmes accredited by either the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), with at least 1,500 alumni and 400 recent graduates, were considered for the rankings.
Professor Deepa Mani, ISB’s deputy dean, academic programmes, said that the career support at ISB is comprehensive and deeply personalised.
“The Career Advisory and Professional Development (CAPD) team offers one-on-one coaching that helps students assess their strengths, refine goals, and chart a clear career path. This is complemented by mentorship from industry experts who share practical insights drawn from their own journeys,” she told ThePrint.
“For students seeking global roles, CAPD provides tailored guidance—from résumé building to interview preparation—ensuring that international aspirations are fully supported.”
The CAS team, she said, strengthens industry connections by engaging with over 1,400 organisations worldwide and facilitating more than 170 networking and information sessions annually. Employers from India, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Europe actively participate in these interactions, offering students valuable exposure to diverse sectors and emerging opportunities.
“This integrated career ecosystem—combining experiential learning, personalised mentoring, and strong industry engagement—empowers our graduates to step confidently into leadership roles across the world,” she said.
Calling the institute’s alumni network its defining “strength,” Mani highlighted ISB’s alumni network of over 20,000 professionals across more than 60 countries.
“Beyond their professional success, alumni remain deeply connected to ISB. They mentor students, recruit talent, collaborate on research and ventures, and actively contribute to the school’s growth and global reputation,” she said.
“Alumni chapters across major international cities regularly host events, roundtables, and community initiatives, reinforcing ISB’s spirit of lifelong learning and collaboration.”
Five IIMs among top 50
According to the LinkedIn survey report, three IIMs—Calcutta (16th), Ahmedabad (17th), and Bengaluru (20th)—have made it into the top 20 MBA programmes. Additionally, IIM Lucknow is ranked 26th, IIM Indore 36th, and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is ranked 50th.
The survey also highlighted the most common job titles, skills, and placement locations among graduates from top Indian business schools. Job titles reflect the roles most frequently listed as a graduate’s first post-MBA position and location data shows the most common cities where graduates took their first jobs.
Across institutions such as ISB and IIMs, roles like product manager, business analyst, programme manager, management consultant, management analyst, and investment banking analyst consistently emerged as the most common.
This trend, the survey says, reflects a strong alignment with industry demand for professionals equipped with strategic thinking, analytical capabilities, and cross-functional leadership skills. In terms of location, graduates are opting for Bengaluru and Mumbai as their first choices, followed by Delhi.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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