Record Breaking MBA Pay At Stanford GSB

INDUSTRY CHOICES SHOWED AN UPTICK FOR HEALTHCARE

While interest in consulting continued to slip, falling for the fifth consecutive year, healthcare gained two points to 6% (see chart on following page). The combined consumer-related categories of consumer packaged goods, retail, and hospitality slipped a notch to 7%; similarly, the combined categories of nonprofit and government dropped a point to 6%.

Stanford said that out of 355 organizations that hired Stanford MBAs for summer and full-time positions, 93% hired just one or two students (see chart above).

ROUGHLY 16% OF THE CLASS DID THEIR OWN STARTUPS THIS YEAR

As in the previous two years, this year’s employment report includes a closer look at those who launched their own ventures. These entrepreneurs, excluded from job-seeking and compensation data in compliance with guidelines set by the MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance (CSEA), comprise 16% of the Class of 2015, down slightly from the 18% all-time high in 2013. The top three categories in which they launched ventures were consumer products and services, 14%; healthcare, 10%; and finance, 9%.

While a 60% majority of the entrepreneurs stayed on the West Coast, 28% started their companies outside the U.S. Notably, the percentage of international entrepreneurs (20% of the class) outpaced the percentage of U.S. entrepreneurs (15%). As an alternative to starting their own companies, many internationals were interested in joining startups. But the tendency for these employers to hire “just in time,” coupled with an H-1B visa process that does not favor startups, made the search process more difficult for international students. Job acceptances three months out decreased to 82% from 89% last year. “This job-seeking pool is such a small size, the actions of a handful of students constitute the percentage difference,” said Richard.

© Copyright 2026 Poets&Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets&Quants, please submit your request HERE.