The MBA Premium: What MBAs Earn Over A Lifetime Will Shock You

MBA grads, especially from the top schools, earn considerably more than others

LIFETIME MEDIAN CASH COMPENSATION FOR MBAS FROM TOP BUSINESS SCHOOLS — The Top 25

MBA School Name	Early Career Median Pay	Estimated 20-Year Earnings	Estimated Lifetime Earnings*
Harvard Business School	$141,000	$3,780,000	$8,500,000
Stanford University – Graduate School of Business	$138,000	$3,700,000	$8,330,000
University of California Berkeley – Haas School of Business	$137,000	$3,670,000	$8,250,000
Dartmouth College – Tuck School of Business	$136,000	$3,660,000	$8,240,000
University of Virginia (UVA) – Darden School of Business	$136,000	$3,640,000	$8,200,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Sloan School of Management	$130,000	$3,510,000	$7,890,000
Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management	$130,000	$3,490,000	$7,860,000
Cornell University – Johnson Graduate School of Management (JGSM)	$125,000	$3,370,000	$7,570,000
University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School	$123,000	$3,310,000	$7,440,000
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) – Anderson School of Management	$122,000	$3,270,000	$7,360,000
Duke University – Fuqua School of Business	$121,000	$3,260,000	$7,330,000
University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business	$113,000	$3,050,000	$6,860,000
Columbia Business School	$113,000	$3,020,000	$6,800,000
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) – Tepper School	$112,000	$3,000,000	$6,750,000
University of Chicago – Booth School of Business	$111,000	$3,000,000	$6,740,000
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) – Kenan-Flagler Business School	$111,000	$2,990,000	$6,730,000
Georgetown University McDonough – School of Business	$111,000	$2,980,000	$6,710,000
University of Washington (UW) – Foster School of Business	$109,000	$2,930,000	$6,600,000
University of Texas (UT) – Austin McCombs School of Business	$105,000	$2,820,000	$6,350,000
New York University (NYU) – Leonard N. Stern School of Business	$104,000	$2,800,000	$6,310,000
Vanderbilt University – Business School	$99,700	$2,680,000	$6,030,000
Santa Clara University – Leavey School of Business	$99,500	$2,670,000	$6,020,000
George Washington University (GWU) – School of Business	$96,400	$2,590,000	$5,830,000
University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management	$95,400	$2,560,000	$5,770,000
University of California Irvine (UCI) – Paul Merage School of Business	$93,600	$2,520,000	$5,660,000

* Early career median pay reflects pay for workers with 0 to 5 years of experience. SOURCE: Payscale Data provided by under license. Last updated in 2021.