Super Elite M7 Business Schools

Pay, Placement & Industry Choices Of M7 Graduates

The payoff of an M7 education is indisputable. There are few educational degrees, with the exception of a degree in computer science, that payoff as quickly as an MBA from one of these top schools and–more importantly–builds on its value over the course of a career. The first-year compensation package for M7 grads tends to be above $150,000, once you include a sign-on bonus, other year-end compensation, and possible stock options and perks that schools don’t even bother to tally.

Where M7 grads actually end up varies by school, but all of these institutions have world-class companies and organizations regularly recruiting their MBAs.

The Pay & Placement Rates For M7 MBAs

Stats	Harvard	Stanford	Wharton	Columbia	MIT	Chicago	Kellogg
20-Year Pay	$3,233,000	$3,011,000	$2,989,000	$2,796,000	$2,723,000	$2,558,000	$2,544,600
2014 Median Salary	$125,000	$125,000	$125,000	$119,400	$124,400	$120,000	$120,000
2014 Median Sign-On Bonus	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000
2014 Median Other Comp	$34,700	$31,500	$27,000	$22,390	$20,000	$26,000	——–
2014 Median Total Comp	$184,700	$181,500	$177,000	$166,790	$169,400	$171,000	$145,000
2014 Offers at Graduation	88%	80%	88%	83%	86%	90%	85%
2014 Offers 3 Months Later	93%	94%	98%	97%	95%	98%	94%

Source: Business school employment reports & Payscale

Notes: 20-year income estimates are by Payscale and reflect historical income up to 2013 and not future income; 2014 median total is comp reflects all three key pay components together, though not all graduates receive all three

How Industry Choices In 2014 Compare Across the M7 Schools

Industry	Kellogg	Harvard	Stanford	Wharton	Chicago	Columbia*	MIT
Consulting	35%	23%	16%	26%	28%	34%	34%
Finance	14%	33%	29%	36%	36%	35%	14%
Technology	18%	17%	24%	14%	14%	12%	26%
Consumer Products/Retail	14%	7%	8%	10%	8%	6%	11%
Healthcare	6%	5%	4%	6%	2%	2%	6%
Manufacturing	5%	5%	1%	2%	2%	1%	3%
Energy	2%	2%	2%	2%	3%	——	2%
Media/Entertainment	1%	3%	4%	2%	2%	2%	2%
Non-Profit/Government	1%	3%	6%	2%	2%	2%	—–
Real Estate	1%	2%	2%	2%	1%	3%	—–
Starting A Business	5%	8%	17%	7%	2%	3%	7%

Source: 2014 school employment reports

Notes: * Indicates that the school includes sponsored students in its numbers. If Columbia subtracted out the sponsored students in consulting, for example, the percentage going into that industry would fall to 26% from 34%. Some categories are not always exactly the same across the schools.

The M7 Alumni Networks

Stats	Stanford	Harvard	Wharton	Chicago	Columbia	Kellogg	MIT
Total Living Alumni	18,142	80,917	43,144	48,968	42,361	46,675	12,122
Active Alumni Clubs	92	106	73	91	71	70	7
Countries With Alumni Clubs	36	48	36	40	39	57	4
Fortune 500 CEO Alums	10	40	13	7	4	6	2