Momentum continues for the Jerry S. Rawls College of BusinessOnline MBA program, which climbed five spots to No. 30 in the 2026 Poets&Quants ranking, underscoring the program’s continued rise among the nation’s top graduate business offerings.
This ranking highlights the strength of the Rawls College’s student profile, with incoming students posting an average undergraduate GPA of 3.71 – the highest among all 61 ranked programs. According to Poets&Quants, that’s higher than the previous class’s 3.64 average, which posted the second highest GPA for the 2025 ranking.
In addition to academic excellence, the ranking emphasizes the depth of professional
experience students bring into the program, reinforcing the Online MBA’s value for
working professionals seeking to advance their careers while remaining engaged in
the workforce.
Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Mayukh Dass, Ph.D.,
says together, these factors position the Rawls College as a destination for driven,
experienced learners looking to translate real-world insight into leadership impact.
“This recognition speaks to the quality of students we attract and the strength of the experience we provide,” said Dass. “Our Online MBA is designed to meet professionals where they are so they can immediately elevate their impact within their organizations.”
A distinction that reflects both academic rigor and the program’s ability to attract high-performing professionals, this latest Poets&Quants ranking complements the college’s recent performance in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Online Programs, further solidifying the college’s growing national reputation.
Methodology
Poets&Quants’ ranking of the best online MBA programs in the U.S. is built on a methodology framework centered around three equally-weighted categories – admission standards, academic experience, and career outcomes.