The media, MBA program guidebooks, and the popular press have all helped to promote "rankings" of programs, or comparisons of business schools. Such rankings are widely disputed—but they are also widely used. Many MBA applicants feel that rankings help them learn about schools.

Many different factors go into establishing school rankings, depending on the publication that does the ranking and the research methodology used. The information used to rank schools is often subjective and inconsistent. It may include survey results or information that is not checked for accuracy. For these reasons, rankings do not offer a truly objective comparison of schools.

Also, rankings of schools do not take into account the unique attributes of particular graduate programs within a graduate management school and how these attributes might meet the individual needs of students. Rankings presume that certain schools are 'best" and do not take into account "best fit."

• Rankings are not exhaustive listings—they do not examine all MBA program options available. Some schools, because they are smaller, newer, or have fewer alumni, are not ranked.
• Statistics can be misinterpreted easily when taken out of context. Read explanations of how data are gathered and reported.
• Know what went into the calculation. Facts such as student/faculty ratios, placement percentages, and average financial aid awards must be viewed with a critical eye.
• Publications of school rankings would not sell if everything on the list stayed in the same order from one issue date to the next (or from one publication to the next). In reality, most schools do not change as dramatically as the rankings might lead you to believe.
• Some published school facts are inaccurate. The most accurate information is that which you obtain directly from each school.
• An average is derived in a ranking. An "average" MBA never adequately describes any one person. It is unlikely that any individual MBA graduate totally mirrors a ranking’s averages.
• Pay more attention to ranges than averages. Averages should be viewed as estimates of what may be possible, while ranges note highs and lows that individuals experienced.

Rankings can be helpful and misleading—at the same time. Although it may be helpful to have comparative views of different schools, the research methodologies used in any particular study will affect its outcome, and those methodologies are not always made clear and are not consistent from one ranking to the next.

By comparing and contrasting various studies and by talking to numerous MBA graduates, you will develop a broader perspective and reduce the chance that any one person's bias or any one study’s bias will become your own. How well a particular MBA program fits your education, career, and lifestyle goals is the most important consideration.

Remember that you are assured of receiving the most up-to-date and accurate material directly from each school.