The MBA is a training course aimed at business executives, people who wish to give a boost to their career and their salary. Business Cool suggests that you look at the schools that offer the best remuneration to their MBA graduates.
After an MBA, participants in these business school courses change companies or progress to occupy responsible management positions. Very often, their salaries skyrocket. MBA training allows you to develop a solid network of professionals from all sectors and transform your career, both in terms of missions and on the financial side. And this is mainly how we can measure the power of an MBA training.
Methodology for ranking exit salaries after an MBA
To create this list, we based ourselves on data from the Financial Times and on one column in particular: Weighted salary. This is the salary recorded three years after graduation. It is then weighted according to sectors of activity.
We also studied other parameters such as the percentage of salary progression. In addition to the salary earned three years after obtaining their MBA diploma, this data allows us to know whether the participant’s career and salary have increased, and whether the training has fulfilled its objectives.
The ranking of exit salaries after an MBA in France
Before revealing the international rankings, we suggest you take a look at the rankings of French training courses offering the best exit salaries. Please note, it is important to note that few schools from France are present in this ranking. Other French training courses may offer starting salaries higher or equal to those you see in this ranking.
| Rank | FT Rank | School | Weighted salary | Salary in euros |
| 1 | 2 | INSEAD | $198,363.00 | €182,493.96 |
| 2 | 17 | HEC Paris | $172,393.00 | €158,601.56 |
| 3 | 27 | ESCP | $130,888.00 | €120,416.96 |
| 4 | 47 | EDHEC | $130,039.00 | €119,635.88 |
| 5 | 76 | emlyon | $117,111.00 | €107,742.12 |
| 6 | 70 | ESSEC | $110,087.00 | €101,280.04 |
| 7 | 86 | Audencia | $79,457.00 | €73,100.44 |
Concretely, what we observe is that the most renowned business schools in the French and international rankings are not necessarily those which offer the most attractive salaries. We are thinking in particular of ESSEC, whose training costs €49,500, which provides access to a lower exit salary than that of Emlyon, offering training around €40,000.
If these salaries are high, it is above all because MBA participants occupy positions of responsibility after completing this training. Some go through this course in particular to take over business management. Others take the opportunity to launch an entrepreneurial project. In addition, these training courses are used to develop real leadership skills. These skills, coupled with recognition of the diploma, push companies to offer high-paying positions to MBA graduates. Furthermore, the network and the skills acquired allow alumni of these training courses to easily change companies if the working conditions do not meet their expectations.
Ranking of MBA exit salaries around the world
Obviously, the salaries offered after attending French schools are impressive. However, overseas, compensation three years after earning an MBA easily exceeds $200,000 per year.
Unsurprisingly, the United States dominates the exit salary rankings after an MBA, with high salaries across all sectors. However, it’s important to consider context: the cost of living is generally higher in the United States, and these salaries are often offered to those working in major U.S. cities. Additionally, the reputation of schools like Stanford or Harvard encourages employers to offer higher salaries to attract their graduates.
| Rank | FT Rank | School | Weighted salary | Weighted salary in euros |
| 1 | 4 | Stanford Graduate School of Business | $248,669.00 | €228,775.48 |
| 2 | 4 | Harvard Business School | $235,019.00 | €216,217.48 |
| 3 | 1 | Columbia Business School | $226,359.00 | €208,250.28 |
| 4 | 11 | University of Chicago: Booth | $218,068.00 | €200,622.56 |
| 5 | 7 | UC Berkeley: Haas | $213,321.00 | €196,255.32 |
| 6 | 9 | Kellogg School of Management | $209,337.00 | €192,590.04 |
| 7 | 15 | Dartmouth College: Tuck | $201,451.00 | €185,334.92 |
| 8 | 2 | INSEAD | $198,363.00 | €182,493.96 |
| 9 | 19 | Tern | $198,024.00 | €182,182.08 |
| 10 | 11 | Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business | $196,754.00 | €181,013.68 |
| 11 | 10 | Yale School of Management | $196,659.00 | €180,926.28 |
| 12 | 8 | Cornell University: Johnson | $193,293.00 | €177,829.56 |
| 13 | 6 | SDA Bocconi School of Management | $192,815.00 | €177,389.80 |
| 14 | 14 | UCLA Anderson School of Management | $192,256.00 | €176,875.52 |
| 15 | 26 | University of Michigan: Ross | $186,829.00 | €171,882.68 |
| 16 | 32 | Georgetown University: McDonough | $185,936.00 | €171,061.12 |
| 17 | 29 | Rice University: Jones | $183,332.00 | €168,665.44 |
| 18 | 16 | London Business School | $182,254.00 | €167,673.68 |
| 19 | 21 | University of Southern California: Marshall | $181,385.00 | €166,874.20 |
| 20 | 23 | Shanghai University of Finance and Economics: College of Business | $181,274.00 | €166,772.08 |
| 21 | 20 | CEIBS | $177,132.00 | €162,961.44 |
| 22 | 49 | Carnegie Mellon: Tepper | $176,091.00 | €162,003.72 |
| 23 | 23 | University of Cambridge: Judge | $173,775.00 | €159,873.00 |
| 24 | 50 | University of Texas at Austin: McCombs | $172,879.00 | €159,048.68 |
| 25 | 17 | HEC Paris | $172,393.00 | €158,601.56 |
MBA: what about salary progression?
Obviously, a high salary is a determining criterion in the choice of training, because it guarantees a certain return on investment, particularly given the cost of training. On the other hand, salary growth after an MBA is a relevant indicator of the impact of this diploma on your career… and your salary! As you can see, in some cases, the salary almost tripled after obtaining the MBA. This is particularly the case in the United States and Asia, where positions of responsibility are often awarded to those who have chosen this training.
| Rank | FT Rank | School | Percentage of salary | Weighted salary |
| 1 | 23 | Shanghai University of Finance and Economics: College of Business | 207% | $181,274.00 |
| 2 | 39 | Indian School of Business | 205% | $161,331.00 |
| 3 | 69 | University of Massachusetts Amherst: Isenberg | 188% | $131,266.00 |
| 4 | 45 | University of Rochester: Simon Business School | 185% | $160,913.00 |
| 5 | 48 | Fudan University School of Management | 178% | $138,087.00 |
| 6 | 43 | Michigan State University: Broad | 169% | $143,697.00 |
| 7 | 52 | Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | 165% | $157,514.00 |
| 8 | 78 | Northeastern University: D’Amore-McKim | 161% | $128,013.00 |
| 9 | 89 | Indian Institute of Management Indore | 160% | $143,544.00 |
| 10 | 25 | National University of Singapore Business School | 158% | $161,506.00 |
| 11 | 20 | CEIBS | 153% | $177,132.00 |
| 12 | 32 | Georgetown University: McDonough | 152% | $185,936.00 |
| 13 | 58 | George Washington University | 149% | $146,118.00 |
| 14 | 8 | Cornell University: Johnson | 148% | $193,293.00 |
| 15 | 3 | Iese Business School | 144% | $18,127.00 |
| 16 | 17 | University of Virginia: Darden | 141% | $19,116.00 |
| 16 | 90 | Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | 141% | $136,673.00 |
| 18 | 61 | University of Georgia: Terry | 140% | $131,014.00 |
| 19 | 10 | Yale School of Management | 139% | $196,659.00 |
| 19 | 41 | HKU Business School | 139% | $132,496.00 |
| 19 | 92 | Brigham Young University: Marriott | 139% | $1,411.00 |
| 22 | 21 | University of Southern California: Marshall | 136% | $181,385.00 |
| 23 | 26 | University of Michigan: Ross | 135% | $186,829.00 |
| 24 | 19 | New York University: Stern | 134% | $198,024.00 |
| 25 | 1 | Columbia Business School | 132% | $226,359.00 |
| 25 | 7 | University of California at Berkeley: Haas | 132% | $213,321.00 |
| 25 | 32 | University of Washington: Michael G Foster | 132% | $170,234.00 |
