BusinessPundit 2026 Rankings
#39 The Top 100 MBA Programs

Rochester Simon Business School

University of Rochester · Rochester, New York · Private

“The most quantitative small MBA in the country, and the most international.”

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

Rochester Simon Business School
79.7
GoodBP Score
$120,000Tuition, total
680Avg. GMAT
38%Acceptance rate
84%Placed at 3 months
$130,000Median base salary

Our review

Simon’s intellectual lineage runs through hard-edged financial economics, and the curriculum never apologizes for it: every MBA is STEM-designated, the analytics core is the most demanding outside the engineering-school programs, and pricing-strategy research here shapes how half of corporate America sets prices.

The class approaches 50% international — among the highest shares anywhere — drawn by the STEM visa runway and merit aid that stretches further than coastal peers’. Rochester itself is a modest market, so placement leans on the quant reputation traveling: banks’ risk and analytics desks, pricing teams, and fintechs hire Simon by function rather than geography.

What impressed us

  • STEM everywhere. The whole MBA carries the designation.
  • Quant credibility. Pricing and financial-economics research with industry reach.

What gave us pause

  • Small market. Rochester recruiting depends on the brand traveling.
  • Austere culture. The rigor is the point; warmth is optional.

The verdict

For quantitative candidates — especially international ones needing the STEM runway — Simon delivers elite-grade rigor at a mid-tier admit rate. Extroverted general managers will find it austere.

79.7

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