Washington (Foster)

Foster is number 18 on the overall ranking of US business schools. The Seattle-based school is known for highly-regarded programs in finance and accounting. Graduates highlight the supportive “community,” from the faculty to administrators and fellow students. As one writes, “The cohort, faculty, professors, and community all embody what the Foster school aims to achieve: Fostering Leaders for a Better Humanity.”

Of the five indexes this ranking is based on — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship and Inclusion — Washington (Foster) ranked 19th in Compensation, 29th in Inclusion, 30th in Networking and 48th in Learning and Entrepreneurship. 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. Foster reported 66% male and 33% 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

Foster sent the majority of its recent MBA graduates, those with jobs, into Technology Industry, Consulting Industry and Manufacturing Industry.

Compensation by Industry

The median base salary across all industries reported by Foster graduates is $145,000; 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.