What Is a Third Tier Business School?

Third tier business schools are business schools that fall below first tier and second tier business schools. The term "third tier" was popularized years ago by organizations, such as U.S. News and BusinessWeek, which rank business schools.

It is important to note that a third tier business school isn't a bad business school--it just doesn't have the reputation that a first tier or second tier business school has. Third tier business schools are typically ranked beneath the top 50 schools and may even be ranked beneath the top 100 schools.