#1 Full-Time MBA · Stanford, California
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#37 The Top 100 MBA Programs
Purdue Daniels School of Business
Purdue University · West Lafayette, Indiana · Public
“An engineering university's MBA, priced like it wants you to notice.”
Reviewed by David Krug · July 2026
Data anchored to the 2026 U.S. News table, Poets&Quants reporting, and school-published class profiles
80.3
Very goodBP Score
$95,000Tuition, total
660Avg. GMAT
42%Acceptance rate
85%Placed at 3 months
$120,000Median base salary
Our review
Purdue rebuilt its business school around a simple thesis: the industrial Midwest needs managers who can read both a balance sheet and a bill of materials. The Daniels School’s STEM-designated MBA leans on analytics and operations, borrows credibility from one of the world’s premier engineering universities, and prices itself — under $60,000 in-state — like a public good.
Manufacturing, aerospace, and ag-industrial employers (Caterpillar, Cummins, Rolls-Royce’s Indianapolis operations) treat the program as a direct pipeline. The international share runs high, drawn by the STEM visa runway. The trade is the familiar small-town one: a 70-person class and a recruiting map centered on the industrial heartland.
What impressed us
- Engineering halo. Purdue's brand carries the business degree.
- STEM + price. Visa runway plus a sub-$60K in-state sticker.
What gave us pause
- Industrial focus. Consumer, finance, and tech lanes run thin.
- Tiny class. 70 students, correspondingly short employer list.
The verdict
The industrial Midwest's best MBA value, with a STEM designation that matters for international candidates. Coastal ambitions need a different vehicle.
80.3
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The Wharton School
#2 Full-Time MBA · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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