Columbia

Columbia is number 9 on the overall ranking of US business schools. The New York-based school is known for its connections to Wall Street, a function of the school’s strength in investment banking, private equity, and M&A. Graduates recognize its New York City location as a gateway to higher-paying finance jobs. One pointed to the “strength of on-campus recruiting, especially in investment banking and consulting.”

Of the five indexes this ranking is based on — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship and Inclusion — Columbia ranked 3rd in Compensation, 15th in Networking, 26th in Entrepreneurship, 28th in Inclusion and 46th in Learning. Index scores are based on student and alumni survey responses as well as salary data the school reports to MBA CSEA.

Index Ranks

Index Scores

Student Population

The breakdown below is compared with other US schools. Collected gender and non-binary data is for all students in the newest class, which for most schools is the Class of 2026. Columbia reported 55% male and 45% female/non-binary.

Bloomberg also collects data on race and ethnicity from US schools — they provide us with percentages of the first-year class of American students for the following groups: White, Black, Asian, American Indian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic (of any race). These groups are categorized as such by the schools when submitting data to the federal government.

Hires by Industry

Columbia sent the majority of its recent MBA graduates, those with jobs, into Financial Services, Consulting Industry and Technology Industry.

Compensation by Industry

The median base salary across all industries reported by Columbia graduates is $175,000; the median signing/starting bonus is $30,000.

Demographics

Survey respondents weigh in on their school’s population, answering broad questions about what campus life is like for female, LGBTQ, and minority students.