Columbia MBA Salary 2023: By Industry

Consulting is the most sought-after sector, attracting 36.30% of graduates. But the just above 35% representation is far below the 40-50% range that T10 schools have represented for the industry. Clearly, CBS is not just using the strong $190,000 median base salary to its advantage. The New York branding is strong, and so are the diverse industries represented in the recruitment.

Financial services as expected from a New York school is not far behind, with 35.70% of graduates securing positions in this sector. The industry maintains its appeal with a median base salary of $175,000 and median guaranteed compensation of $60,000 taking the total salary to $235,000, which stands as the highest salary offered at Columbia.

Silicon Alley and its influence on Technology hiring is evident in the latest employment report that shows 10.80% of Columbia MBA graduates accepting offers despite the $20,000 to $35,000 below benchmark salary compared the top two industries – Finance and Consulting. The compensation of $156,000 falls on the lowest quartile for T10 school and the second lowest for an M7 school. Kellogg despite its resurgence in Technology is at the bottom.

Consumer Products, Healthcare, and Real Estate exhibit relatively lower percentages of hires - 3.2%, 2.60%, and 3.30%, respectively. The lower representation had high correlation with the compensation with the median base salaries falling at $120,000 and $133,000 respectively while bonus also fell below the $30,000 mark. Healthcare was the only exception in Bonus, maintaining a healthy $30,000.

By Industry (2023)	% Hired	Median Base Salary	Median Guaranteed Compensation
Consulting	36.3%	$190,000	$30,000
Consumer Products	3.2%	$120,000	$22,500
Financial Services	35.7%	$175,000	$60,000
Healthcare	2.6%	$133,000	$30,000
Real Estate	3.3%	$145,000	$10,300
Technology	10.8%	$156,000	$30,000