EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY STATISTICS AT TOP B-SCHOOLS IN THE US! : The B-School Application

What drives you to get up in the morning and hit those convoluted GMAT books ? Why are you working on the GMAT-prep software until 10PM on a freaking weekend ? Why are you at home working your but off on the GMAT-club tests when you could be out partying or hanging out with friends? It’s easy to get lost in your own head and allow procrastination to put your dreams in a standstill. Simply put- You have a dream and you have to protect that dream.
GMAT is only the first step towards your MBA dream. After one has taken the GMAT, he/she begins to research for the MBA programs that would fit their narrative as to why they need the MBA in the first place. One thing everyone looks at is the rankings. There are numerous rankings, some more flawed then the other, which gives us a general idea about the student body at a particular school. But what about money? How about comparing B-schools based on the amount of money one makes upon graduation from that school?

In this post we are gonna have a single dimensional overview of each school. We would look at how much money a candidate makes upon graduating from XYZ schools, what bonuses are they offered and what other benefits do they receive (including tuition reimbursements, stock options, relocation allowance etc.). Then we are gonna add them all up to get a clearer picture of the AVERAGE COMPENSATION at the Top B-schools in the United States!

A few pointers ->

• Total Average compensation = Average Base Salary + Average Bonus + Average Others (like Stock options, tuition reimbursements, relocation allowances etc.)
• MBA Pay Scale Rank is just an attempt to rank the schools based on the average overall compensation
• While you examine the average compensation at different schools, do not forget to analyse the employment percentages, both - at graduation and at 3 months post graduation
• These numbers are also applicable to the MBA + MS programs

Average Salary at Top B-schools in the US
MBA Payscale Rank	School	US.News Rank	Average Base Salary	Average Bonus	Average Others	Average Total Compensation	% Employed At Graduation	% Employed within 3 months of graduation
1	Stanford	4	$144,455	$29,534	$83,065	$257,054	63.9%	87.6%
2	Columbia	9	$129,096	$34,481	$57,460	$221,036	69.9%	89.3%
3	Harvard	1	$137,293	$29,855	$53,040	$220,188	78.9%	89.3%
4	Wharton	3	$135,716	$31,214	$42,571	$209,501	82.3%	92.6%
5	Booth	1	$129,442	$30,469	$40,504	$200,415	88.0%	95.3%
6	MIT	5	$128,301	$27,872	$28,116	$184,289	84.2%	93.9%
7	Kellogg	6	$128,192	$28,469	$25,422	$182,083	81.6%	92.6%
8	Stern	13	$121,146	$33,134	$27,177	$181,457	79.1%	91.3%
9	Foster	22	$119,904	$31,570	$26,462	$177,936	85.2%	98.1%
10	Tuck	10	$127,986	$30,208	$19,648	$177,842	80.2%	91.8%
11	Ross	7	$124,702	$30,866	$21,607	$177,175	89.7%	94.4%
12	Darden	13	$124,684	$31,966	$19,811	$176,461	83.4%	90.1%
13	Tepper	17	$119,402	$30,101	$25,688	$175,191	81.1%	88.6%
14	Haas	7	$125,572	$27,926	$21,023	$174,571	66.3%	89.9%
15	Marshall	20	$118,110	$28,406	$26,111	$172,627	74.9%	93.6%
16	Yale-SOM	11	$119,371	$28,747	$22,125	$170,243	75.2%	90.5%
17	Goizueta	20	$119,665	$27,534	$17,024	$164,223	84.6%	92.7%
18	Anderson	16	$119,964	$29,073	$12,982	$162,019	74.4%	88.0%
19	McCombs	17	$117,185	$28,280	$16,135	$161,600	81.5%	89.9%
20	Johnson	15	$125,578	$31,604	NA	$157,182	80.3%	90.9%
21	UNC	19	$111,082	$23,706	$19,781	$154,569	79.1%	90.8%
22	Fuqua	11	$122,989	$30,374	NA	$153,363	87.0%	92.6%
23	Marriott	23	$113,349	$27,254	$10,672	$151,275	83.0%	94.0%
24	Rice	35	$102,534	$19,825	$29,371	$151,730	76.8%	89.4%
25	Olin	23	$106,812	$24,440	$18,155	$149,407	72.0%	97.2%
26	Scheller	28	$106,115	$25,378	$17,620	$149,113	71.9%	93.0%
27	Mendoza	31	$107,230	$20,879	$15,888	$143,997	73.1%	86.1%
28	Eccles	44	$88,143	$21,267	$33,041	$142,451	75.4%	91.2%
29	McDonough	25	$112,501	$28,516	NA	$141,017	68.3%	91.8%
30	Smeal	31	$105,462	$21,820	$12,853	$140,135	78.0%	91.5%
31	Owen	26	$113,205	$25,232	NA	$138,437	75.8%	91.3%
32	Kelley	27	$100,874	$22,551	$14,655	$138,080	76.8%	86.9%
33	Simon	44	$102,046	$20,354	$12,963	$135,363	71.3%	93.8%
34	Warrington	34	$100,863	$15,418	$14,936	$131,217	79.6%	89.8%
35	Smith	48	$100,934	$17,512	$12,718	$131,164	65.4%	79.5%
36	Mays	36	$105,910	$13,828	$11,219	$130,957	72.0%	90.0%
37	Carlson	29	$106,129	$23,071	NA	$129,200	82.9%	82.9%
38	SMU-Cox	48	$97,906	$18,154	$12,868	$128,928	64.8%	86.7%
39	UIUC	48	$95,295	$14,000	$14,000	$128,599	71.2%	80.3%
40	Rutgers	44	$97,546	$19,719	$10,125	$127,390	73.6%	88.7%
41	Merage	42	$97,808	$16,706	$11,458	$125,972	50.9%	87.3%
42	Carroll	48	$100,698	$19,600	$5,000	$125,298	64.2%	85.1%
43	Questrom	42	$95,471	$16,229	$13,585	$125,285	59.8%	90.6%
44	Wisconsin	37	$97,237	$17,398	$10,284	$124,919	57.8%	85.6%
45	Fisher	31	$96,034	$19,163	$8,913	$124,110	80.0%	94.4%
46	Carey	29	$98,633	$14,907	$9,291	$122,831	74.3%	95.9%
47	Broad	37	$101,836	$18,411	NA	$120,247	75.0%	85.3%
48	UC-Davis	37	$95,603	$15,500	NA	$111,103	82.9%	91.4%
49	Texas-Dallas	40	$87,522	$12,314	$7,500	$107,336	41.9%	90.3%
50	Terry	50	$90,250	$14,214	NA	$104,464	75.0%	92.5%

Thanks stonecold for this awsome post. I atleast have a finite list of schools now

StoneCold... some of these numbers differ from what is reported on the schools' website. Any particular reason for that?
Which ones are more trustworthy?

gmat.taker wrote:StoneCold... some of these numbers differ from what is reported on the schools' website. Any particular reason for that?
Which ones are more trustworthy?

Hi,
Thank you for the query.
The numbers don't differ. These numbers(above) are the latest 2018 employment statistics reported by schools to the US news. On their website, the schools just mention the base salary and the average bonuses. They generally don't mention the average of others compensations that a candidate receives.

Since they were reported by schools to the US news magazine, the numbers above are pretty darn accurate.

Best,
Stone

thanks for this. Is the job scopes applied also for international students ?

Great compilation. Im amazed to see the variance between the US News Ranks and Payscale ranks of some colleges, particularly Foster, Yale SOM, Haas, Fuqua, Johnson and Rice. Location is indeed a major factor.

Ananyaroy27 wrote:thanks for this. Is the job scopes applied also for international students ?

Hi,
Yes! The above information is an average for all the students, which includes the International students too.
However, as for the international students, there might be a small discrepancy in the pay structure due to the immigration mess.


Best,
Stone

ab_gmat wrote:Great compilation. Im amazed to see the variance between the US News Ranks and Payscale ranks of some colleges, particularly Foster, Yale SOM, Haas, Fuqua, Johnson and Rice. Location is indeed a major factor.

Location and quite frankly- the pedigree of the school.
Some lower ranked schools(like BYU) have excellent employment numbers.

And BTW- BYU, with over 40 percent acceptance rate, isn't even that difficult to get into. The required LDS endorsement heavily decreases the number of international applications, since people usually apply late whereas the LDS endorsements can take time. So any prospective candidate looking to get into a great B-school- APPLY TO BYU!

stonecold wrote:

ab_gmat wrote:Great compilation. Im amazed to see the variance between the US News Ranks and Payscale ranks of some colleges, particularly Foster, Yale SOM, Haas, Fuqua, Johnson and Rice. Location is indeed a major factor.

Location and quite frankly- the pedigree of the school.
Some lower ranked schools(like BYU) have excellent employment numbers.

And BTW- BYU, with over 40 percent acceptance rate, isn't even that difficult to get into. The required LDS endorsement heavily decreases the number of international applications, since people usually apply late whereas the LDS endorsements can take time. So any prospective candidate looking to get into a great B-school- APPLY TO BYU!

Hello,
Firstly thanks a ton for the effort you've taken.
I have few questions regarding the above-posted stats-
1. It is known that the colleges that publish their annual employment report usually put up the stats of the top 10% students and hence the avg salary we see is only representative of the top 10%. Though there has been a debate over this belief ,I came accross a situation such as the above and hence perplexed as to what exactly is the scenario ! I would like to know your's as well as others' view on this.
2. According to the above post above the avg salaries dont differ much but yet the acceptance rate and thus the selection criteria get stringent as the ranking increases. Share some views on this, please

stonecold, Awesome post, Very informational.
It would be great if you could other metrics such as add cost of attendance, scholarships chances/percentages (for international/domestic students), etc.
I couldn't find similar information elsewhere.

Regards
Anuj

AdityaHongunti wrote:

stonecold wrote:

ab_gmat wrote:Great compilation. Im amazed to see the variance between the US News Ranks and Payscale ranks of some colleges, particularly Foster, Yale SOM, Haas, Fuqua, Johnson and Rice. Location is indeed a major factor.

Location and quite frankly- the pedigree of the school.
Some lower ranked schools(like BYU) have excellent employment numbers.

And BTW- BYU, with over 40 percent acceptance rate, isn't even that difficult to get into. The required LDS endorsement heavily decreases the number of international applications, since people usually apply late whereas the LDS endorsements can take time. So any prospective candidate looking to get into a great B-school- APPLY TO BYU!

Hello,
Firstly thanks a ton for the effort you've taken.
I have few questions regarding the above-posted stats-
1. It is known that the colleges that publish their annual employment report usually put up the stats of the top 10% students and hence the avg salary we see is only representative of the top 10%. Though there has been a debate over this belief ,I came accross a situation such as the above and hence perplexed as to what exactly is the scenario ! I would like to know your's as well as others' view on this.
2. According to the above post above the avg salaries dont differ much but yet the acceptance rate and thus the selection criteria get stringent as the ranking increases. Share some views on this, please

Hi, Thanks for the question.
My perspective ->

First off, statement 1 is absolutely rubbish my friend. Whoever told you that was just being diabolical about the school. Schools report the average of the entire participating class (which is almost 98-100 percent of the total strength)
If they make those up or are being cheeky, they loose the rankings. The US news is not that kind you know.

For statement 2, I understand your concern. However, the amount of salary one makes has nothing to do with the rankings/prestige of the MBA schools one attend. Lets talk about MBA in finance for example. I think Notre dame, BC and Simon are all top notch schools for that particular department. Yet, the rankings of those schools vary considerably. Its all about what you wan from your MBA. I am a firm believer in the concept that a FULL RIDE at a TOP 50 school is worth more an admit with no money at a Top 20-25 school! You might disagree to that. And that's fine.

So, are rankings important? YES!
But the personal fit should always override the rankings

anuj.bit2k10 wrote:stonecold, Awesome post, Very informational.
It would be great if you could other metrics such as add cost of attendance, scholarships chances/percentages (for international/domestic students), etc.
I couldn't find similar information elsewhere.

Regards
Anuj

Hi, Thank you for the question.

I can help you with the data for any particular school you have in mind. However, it is impossible to boil down the rankings to a simple metrics which can provide the scholarship chances.

Just as an example -
Schools like Notre Dame, BYU, BU, Madison, Purdue are know to be very very generous with aid(especially Notre Dame and BU)
Schools like Georgetown, Broad, Smeal, Carlson( and many more like them) are not

stonecold wrote:What drives you to get up in the morning and hit those convoluted GMAT books ? Why are you working on the GMAT-prep software until 10PM on a freaking weekend ? Why are you at home working your but off on the GMAT-club tests when you could be out partying or hanging out with friends? It’s easy to get lost in your own head and allow procrastination to put your dreams in a standstill. Simply put- You have a dream and you have to protect that dream.
GMAT is only the first step towards your MBA dream. After one has taken the GMAT, he/she begins to research for the MBA programs that would fit their narrative as to why they need the MBA in the first place. One thing everyone looks at is the rankings. There are numerous rankings, some more flawed then the other, which gives us a general idea about the student body at a particular school. But what about money? How about comparing B-schools based on the amount of money one makes upon graduation from that school?

In this post we are gonna have a single dimensional overview of each school. We would look at how much money a candidate makes upon graduating from XYZ schools, what bonuses are they offered and what other benefits do they receive (including tuition reimbursements, stock options, relocation allowance etc.). Then we are gonna add them all up to get a clearer picture of the AVERAGE COMPENSATION at the Top B-schools in the United States!

A few pointers ->

• Total Average compensation = Average Base Salary + Average Bonus + Average Others (like Stock options, tuition reimbursements, relocation allowances etc.)
• MBA Pay Scale Rank is just an attempt to rank the schools based on the average overall compensation
• While you examine the average compensation at different schools, do not forget to analyse the employment percentages, both - at graduation and at 3 months post graduation
• These numbers are also applicable to the MBA + MS programs

Average Salary at Top B-schools in the US
MBA Payscale Rank	School	US.News Rank	Average Base Salary	Average Bonus	Average Others	Average Total Compensation	% Employed At Graduation	% Employed within 3 months of graduation
1	Stanford	4	$144,455	$29,534	$83,065	$257,054	63.9%	87.6%
2	Columbia	9	$129,096	$34,481	$57,460	$221,036	69.9%	89.3%
3	Harvard	1	$137,293	$29,855	$53,040	$220,188	78.9%	89.3%
4	Wharton	3	$135,716	$31,214	$42,571	$209,501	82.3%	92.6%
5	Booth	1	$129,442	$30,469	$40,504	$200,415	88.0%	95.3%
6	MIT	5	$128,301	$27,872	$28,116	$184,289	84.2%	93.9%
7	Kellogg	6	$128,192	$28,469	$25,422	$182,083	81.6%	92.6%
8	Stern	13	$121,146	$33,134	$27,177	$181,457	79.1%	91.3%
9	Foster	22	$119,904	$31,570	$26,462	$177,936	85.2%	98.1%
10	Tuck	10	$127,986	$30,208	$19,648	$177,842	80.2%	91.8%
11	Ross	7	$124,702	$30,866	$21,607	$177,175	89.7%	94.4%
12	Darden	13	$124,684	$31,966	$19,811	$176,461	83.4%	90.1%
13	Tepper	17	$119,402	$30,101	$25,688	$175,191	81.1%	88.6%
14	Haas	7	$125,572	$27,926	$21,023	$174,571	66.3%	89.9%
15	Marshall	20	$118,110	$28,406	$26,111	$172,627	74.9%	93.6%
16	Yale-SOM	11	$119,371	$28,747	$22,125	$170,243	75.2%	90.5%
17	Goizueta	20	$119,665	$27,534	$17,024	$164,223	84.6%	92.7%
18	Anderson	16	$119,964	$29,073	$12,982	$162,019	74.4%	88.0%
19	McCombs	17	$117,185	$28,280	$16,135	$161,600	81.5%	89.9%
20	Johnson	15	$125,578	$31,604	NA	$157,182	80.3%	90.9%
21	UNC	19	$111,082	$23,706	$19,781	$154,569	79.1%	90.8%
22	Fuqua	11	$122,989	$30,374	NA	$153,363	87.0%	92.6%
23	Marriott	23	$113,349	$27,254	$10,672	$151,275	83.0%	94.0%
24	Rice	35	$102,534	$19,825	$29,371	$151,730	76.8%	89.4%
25	Olin	23	$106,812	$24,440	$18,155	$149,407	72.0%	97.2%
26	Scheller	28	$106,115	$25,378	$17,620	$149,113	71.9%	93.0%
27	Mendoza	31	$107,230	$20,879	$15,888	$143,997	73.1%	86.1%
28	Eccles	44	$88,143	$21,267	$33,041	$142,451	75.4%	91.2%
29	McDonough	25	$112,501	$28,516	NA	$141,017	68.3%	91.8%
30	Smeal	31	$105,462	$21,820	$12,853	$140,135	78.0%	91.5%
31	Owen	26	$113,205	$25,232	NA	$138,437	75.8%	91.3%
32	Kelley	27	$100,874	$22,551	$14,655	$138,080	76.8%	86.9%
33	Simon	44	$102,046	$20,354	$12,963	$135,363	71.3%	93.8%
34	Warrington	34	$100,863	$15,418	$14,936	$131,217	79.6%	89.8%
35	Smith	48	$100,934	$17,512	$12,718	$131,164	65.4%	79.5%
36	Mays	36	$105,910	$13,828	$11,219	$130,957	72.0%	90.0%
37	Carlson	29	$106,129	$23,071	NA	$129,200	82.9%	82.9%
38	SMU-Cox	48	$97,906	$18,154	$12,868	$128,928	64.8%	86.7%
39	UIUC	48	$95,295	$14,000	$14,000	$128,599	71.2%	80.3%
40	Rutgers	44	$97,546	$19,719	$10,125	$127,390	73.6%	88.7%
41	Merage	42	$97,808	$16,706	$11,458	$125,972	50.9%	87.3%
42	Carroll	48	$100,698	$19,600	$5,000	$125,298	64.2%	85.1%
43	Questrom	42	$95,471	$16,229	$13,585	$125,285	59.8%	90.6%
44	Wisconsin	37	$97,237	$17,398	$10,284	$124,919	57.8%	85.6%
45	Fisher	31	$96,034	$19,163	$8,913	$124,110	80.0%	94.4%
46	Carey	29	$98,633	$14,907	$9,291	$122,831	74.3%	95.9%
47	Broad	37	$101,836	$18,411	NA	$120,247	75.0%	85.3%
48	UC-Davis	37	$95,603	$15,500	NA	$111,103	82.9%	91.4%
49	Texas-Dallas	40	$87,522	$12,314	$7,500	$107,336	41.9%	90.3%
50	Terry	50	$90,250	$14,214	NA	$104,464	75.0%	92.5%

WHAT ABOUT JOHN MOLSON -QUEBEC CANADA?

Is there a flaw in the calculation above? How much percentage of the class got the Other Compensation should also be factored into. While a majority of the class would have received a signing bonus, the other compensation may be rare in schools such as Foster. I may be wrong though.

Having said that, say for example 60% of Foster's class received an average compensation of 30,000 USD, then shouldn't that be normalized for the entire class before we come up with average total compensation for the entire class?

Can we not expect 100% employment atleast after 3 months of graduation from such top colleges ?

That's awesome! I would love to see a similar table for European Business Schools! Is there someone who collected/inferred the data?

thanks!!

Perspective: MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT SIGN ON BONUSES WHEN COMPARING THE AVERAGE COMPENSATION !!

These days, there is a HUGE component of compensation that is given out as a sign on Bonus.
As an example: Amazon is giving out 70k-100k bonus (depending on whether you are a Technical product manager, product manager or in operations manager or otherwise).To the best of my knowledge, the base pay is between 130k-168k

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