Ivey Business School’s full-time MBA has been named the best in Canada and placed 74th in the world by the Financial Times, marking its strongest result since 2012. The programme jumped 12 places compared with last year, a rise that reflects the range of factors the FT weighs in its annual assessment – from graduate career progression and salary growth to research output and the diversity of the student body.
Dean Julian Birkinshaw pointed to the calibre of Ivey’s people – faculty, students and alumni alike – as the driving force behind the result, framing it as evidence that the school is delivering leadership training that translates into real-world impact.
Strength across the board in Canada
The overall ranking sits alongside several category wins at home. Ivey came out on top nationally for the strength of its alumni network, pointing to the lasting ties graduates keep with one another and the support that network offers newer cohorts entering the job market.
The school also outperformed every other Canadian programme on employment rates after graduation, a sign of steady employer demand, and came second nationally on starting salaries – trailing its nearest domestic rival only slightly.
Ivey’s careers team also gained ground, rising seven places to 65th worldwide for the quality of support it gives students moving into post-MBA roles. On top of that, the school holds the leading Canadian position for ESG performance.
A standout on sector diversity
One area where Ivey leads not just Canada but the entire ranking is sector diversity – a measure of how varied students’ professional backgrounds are before they arrive. J.D. Clarke, Ivey’s Executive Director of Recruitment and Admissions, described this mix of industries as a core strength of the programme. He argued that pulling together people from very different work histories creates sharper classroom debate and better mirrors the complexity graduates will face once they’re back in the workforce.
Research climbing too
Faculty research performance also improved sharply, rising 10 spots to 48th globally and putting Ivey inside the world’s top 50 for research impact. The school linked this to faculty work addressing pressing business challenges, and noted it also leads Canada in two related measures: the share of faculty holding doctorates and the share of female faculty.
Looking at the overall showing, Birkinshaw suggested the results speak to Ivey’s consistency across the areas prospective students care about most – from the earning potential and career trajectory an MBA unlocks to the quality of the research environment and the classroom experience itself.
