Harvard. Wharton. Stanford. These are just some of the names most commonly uttered when people discuss the top MBA programs. But while few would disagree that these programs belong towards the top of any list of MBA school rankings, the specific placement and reasoning undergirding that placement are often subject to debate.

For example, across five of the most prominent providers of MBA school rankings for graduate business programs – US News & World Report, Poets & Quants, Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Economist – the rankings for some of the most widely acclaimed MBA programs vary from source to source.

Still, each of these top MBA program rankings is generally a composite of multiple intersecting elements – from selectivity at admissions (where undergraduate GPA and test scores like the GMAT or the GRE come into play) to career outcomes (employment opportunities, starting salaries/salary growth, and recommendations from alumni). While rankings may rise and dip from year to year, each of these MBA programs still offers tremendous benefits to their current students and graduates.