UC at Irvine (Merage)

Merage is number 42 on the overall ranking of US business schools. The Irvine-based school is known for a focus on innovation, analytics, and technology. The school is recognized for its ability to prepare students for the demands of a quickly changing business world. What do graduates say? “Scholarship and fee remission, location, and drive towards digital transformations and digitally driven businesses,” are noted as key aspects of the program by one.

Of the five indexes this ranking is based on — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship and Inclusion — UC at Irvine (Merage) ranked 9th in Inclusion, 19th in Entrepreneurship, 21st in Learning, 37th in Networking and 51st in Compensation. Index scores are based on student and alumni survey responses as well as salary data the school reports to MBA CSEA.

Index Ranks

Index Scores

Student Population

The breakdown below is compared with other US schools. Collected gender and non-binary data is for all students in the newest class, which for most schools is the Class of 2026. Merage reported 61% male and 39% female/non-binary.

Bloomberg also collects data on race and ethnicity from US schools — they provide us with percentages of the first-year class of American students for the following groups: White, Black, Asian, American Indian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic (of any race). These groups are categorized as such by the schools when submitting data to the federal government.

Hires by Industry

Merage sent the majority of its recent MBA graduates, those with jobs, into Technology Industry, Health Care (Including Products and Services) and Financial Services.

Compensation by Industry

The median base salary across all industries reported by Merage graduates is $125,000; the median signing/starting bonus is $20,000.

Demographics

Survey respondents weigh in on their school’s population, answering broad questions about what campus life is like for female, LGBTQ, and minority students.