What Harvard MBAs Made This Year

Harvard Business School Baker Library – Ethan Baron photo

HIGHEST MEDIAN PAY PACKAGES OF $206,341 WERE LANDED BY MBAS WHO WENT INTO INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

The highest median first year comp–a whopping $206,341–went to HBS grads who landed jobs at hedge funds and investment management firms. The number as ballooned by a third of the hires reporting median other guaranteed compensation of $120,000. MBAs who got jobs in PE, VC and leveraged buyout firms were next, with median first year comp of $180,313. One in four of these graduates reported median other guaranteed comp of $90,000, second highest after investment management jobs.

Those total comp numbers are the highest thus far reported by any business school (see below). Stanford GSB has yet to reveal its employment report for the Class of 2015. The big surprise so far is that Michigan Ross’ total comp number exceeds both Wharton and Chicago Booth, largely due to the high percentages of students reporting both sign-on bonuses and other guaranteed compensation. It’s unclear if Michigan is including more perks in those numbers. If you included, for example, tuition reimbursements and relocation expenses, Wharton’s median total would rise to $153,202 from the $146,303 that includes base salary, signing bonuses and other guaranteed comp.

Harvard said that 94% of this year’s class received job offers within three months after receiving their diploma, while 91% accepted those offers.

The vast majority of the startups that lured HBS MBAs into their fold are based in the United States, with half located in the Northeast and 33 percent on the West Coast, predominantly in the Bay Area. “Over one-third of the startups from which students accepted offers are in the technology sector and another third in financial services,” said Fitzpatrick. “While consumer products is still a small group, we have seen it grow year-over-year as well.”