Business
Once and for all: Is the MBA worth it?
The MBA isn’t dead. But where you study it matters more than ever.
By Francesca Di Meglio
19 August 2026
In brief
- QS data proves that the MBA degree is still valuable for graduates of the highest-ranked programmes.
- Salaries continue to rise for newly minted MBA graduates from top business schools. While job prospects might be less consistent, they emerge for the best and brightest.
- Roles may be shifting because of artificial intelligence and other technologies, but the skills acquired in a top MBA programme can help people adapt.
For years, earning an MBA was a golden ticket to both prestige and wealth. Recently, however, many have wondered out loud if the ticket is tarnished.
They are asking whether newly minted graduates of today can end up at the same blue-chip firms and consultancies of yesteryear, replete with six-figure base salaries and bonuses to boot. Will their degrees ever deliver return on investment considering the exorbitant price of tuition, especially for those who study in the United States?
Has the almighty MBA degree lost its value as some experts are suggesting, or are they just reading the numbers, not to mention the zeitgeist, wrong?
The value of the MBA
QS Quacquarelli Symonds data shows the MBA is still worth it. Graduates of institutions in the top 20 QS World MBA rankings are seeing increases in their salaries and a widening divergence between pre-MBA and post-MBA earnings.
The real determining factor of an MBA’s worth is the school and whether it is highly ranked. For example, US business schools, which dominate QS’ Global MBA Rankings, help graduates get job opportunities that result in hefty salaries, according to the data.
Salaries still soar
Average salaries three months after graduation remain high. The United States comes out on top with the highest average salary at $113,274, up from $109,676 in 2024. France comes in second with $105,427; however, that is down from $107,984 the previous year.
Singapore sees the most significant lift, jumping from $99,776 to $104,340. The United Kingdom also sees an increase from $71,101 to $76,816 between 2024 and 2025.
Spain, however, experiences a more dramatic decrease — from $70,957 to $64,272 — particularly when considering the average salary peaked at $84,353 in 2022.
Looking at the five-year span of average salaries three months after graduation, the United States and France continuously rise, while Singapore, the United Kingdom and Spain are less consistent and see decreases at different points in the timeline.
Regardless of the decreases, the overall takeaway is that newly minted MBAs are earning well despite a global affordability crisis in the years of economic recovery and inflation brought on by the pandemic. Powerhouses like the top MBA programmes in the United States, such as the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, continue to help graduates earn back the cost of school.
The more telling data point is the average salary of the Class of 2025 from the top five programmes in each country. The United States’ $180,900 towers over the other countries’ average salaries. France ($127,856), the United Kingdom ($118,644), Spain ($107,511) and Singapore ($104,340) round out the list. Each country averages six figures, which indicates that their top programmes deliver on promises to help grads increase earnings.
The MBA skillset is fit for the present and future
The quantitative and qualitative skills of MBA graduates are still a selling point for hiring managers. One of the more fascinating aspects of this dissection is comparing average salaries to job acceptance rates.
France is the winner with a job acceptance rate of 91.97, followed by Spain, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The United States, which commands the highest salaries, rounds out the list with a job acceptance rate of 85.13.
“Employers are recruiting more cautiously,” says Daniel Kahn, Senior Consultant at QS. “They are extending hiring timelines for graduates, and international graduates face additional visa and employer sponsorship recruitment barriers. Graduates may wait longer rather than accept lower-paid opportunities.”
In addition, some business school students take time off or try their hand at entrepreneurship, choosing not to enter the job market immediately — yet still finding value in the education.
On the other hand, artificial intelligence is reshaping job prospects for new graduates. But headlines focussed on job losses overlook the other roles that are opening up for leaders with the skills afforded by an MBA and required for success in the age of AI.
For instance, Target just hired a Chief AI Officer to join its C-suite. Human strengths such as empathy, judgment and creativity are all becoming paramount, and they are characteristics that top business schools have long cultivated in students through leadership coursework and workshops.
QS data shows that the institution where people earn their MBAs matters when considering whether the degree is still valuable. Highly ranked programmes deliver higher return on investment and better job opportunities — with the salaries to match. While AI might be eliminating some traditional MBA jobs, the skills graduates attain can be applied to other roles that are emerging.
MBA degrees are worth it, and for those who earn a place at top-ranked schools, the six-figure salaries are still very much within reach. Over time, the degree pays for itself, with the potential to create generational wealth. After all, the best investment you can make is in yourself.
As Benjamin Franklin once said: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”