BusinessPundit 2026 Rankings
#28 The Top 100 MBA Programs

WashU Olin Business School

Washington University in St. Louis · St. Louis, Missouri · Private

“The global-immersion MBA nobody talks about enough.”

Reviewed by David Krug · July 2026
Data anchored to the 2026 U.S. News table, Poets&Quants reporting, and school-published class profiles

WashU Olin Business School
82.7
Very goodBP Score
$135,000Tuition, total
700Avg. GMAT
35%Acceptance rate
87%Placed at 3 months
$140,000Median base salary

Our review

Olin front-loads a global residency — the full class works through Barcelona, and partner sites in Asia and Latin America — before most programs finish their core. The international DNA runs deep: the WashU–Fudan executive MBA topped the Financial Times global EMBA ranking in 2025, a first for the school.

At 110 students, the full-time program is a boutique: career staff outnumber most schools’ per-capita ratios and the placement print sits in the high 80s. St. Louis costs little and hires steadily — Centene, Edward Jones, Anheuser-Busch — but national recruiting takes the initiative every small-market program demands.

What impressed us

  • Global immersion, standard. The whole class studies abroad early.
  • FT-ranked halo. The WashU–Fudan EMBA topped the 2025 global table.

What gave us pause

  • Small market. St. Louis recruiting needs supplementing for the coasts.
  • Brand quietness. Olin under-registers with employers who haven't hired here.

The verdict

A genuinely global boutique MBA at a livable price point. Best for candidates who want faculty access and international exposure over coastal brand heat.

82.7

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