Working under the umbrella of the Economist, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranks schools with full time MBA programs who responded to a distributed survey. The current 2006 ranking is based on research done in the spring of 2006 with two web questionnaires, one for business schools and the other for current students and recent graduates. The current student and alumni ranking comprises 20% of the 2006 rank while the data provided by B-schools makes up the other 80% of the 2006 rank. The EIU factors the results of previous surveys distributing percentages to each as follows: 2006 (50%), 2005 (30%) and 2004 (20%).
Here is the breakdown of the ranking:

Open new career opportunities (35%)

1. Diversity of recruiters: Number of industry sectors
2. Assessment of career services: Percentage of graduates in jobs 3 months after graduation
3. Jobs found through career services: Percentage of graduates finding jobs through career services
4. Student Assessment: Meeting expectations and needs

1. Faculty Quality: Ratio of faculty to students, percentage of faculty with PhD, faculty rating by students
2. Student Quality: Average GMAT score, average length of work experience
3. Student Diversity: Percentage of foreign students, percentage of women students, student rating of culture and classmates
4. Education Experience: Student rating of program content and range of electives, range of overseas exchange programs, number of languages on offer, student assessment of facilities and other services.

1. How much did your salary increase after graduating: Salary change from pre-MBA to post-MBA (excluding bonuses)
2. Leaving salary: Post-MBA salary (excluding bonuses)

1. Breadth of alumni network: Ratio of registered alumni to current students
2. Internationalism of alumni: Ratio of student to overseas alumni branches
3. Alumni effectiveness: Student assessment of alumni network