Columbia Business School (CBS) has released its MBA Class of 2025 employment report.
“The Class of 2025 leveraged Columbia Business School’s deep industry access, global network, and hands-on learning opportunities to secure roles well-matched to their career goals. This year, graduates accepted full-time positions with 346 organizations worldwide. More than 200 employers hired CBS MBAs for the first time, demonstrating the strength and continued growth of our recruiting partnerships. The class saw strong outcomes across Finance, Consulting, and Technology with significant momentum in Investment Management, Venture Capital and Real Estate, underscoring both the ambition of our students and the enduring value of a Columbia MBA. Our curriculum, which fuses theory and practice, empowers students to turn insight into action. CBS recent graduates are already driving progress in fields ranging from AI and climate innovation to healthcare and financial services. The Class of 2025 reflects the innovation, collaboration, and global leadership that define Columbia Business School. I look forward to seeing their impact in the years ahead.” Gracy Sarkissian, Associate Dean, Career Management Center, said in the report.
900 students matriculated as part of the CBS MBA Class of 2025, but CBS does not break down how many students sought employment. Within three months of graduation, 92 percent of those seeking employment had received offers, and 90.2 percent had accepted offers. The top reasons reported for accepting positions were company reputation, firm’s culture/people, and advancement opportunities, reflecting the elite firms that hired the most CBS MBAs: McKinsey & Company (62 total hires), Boston Consulting Group (62 total hires), Bain & Co (33 total hires), PricewaterhouseCoopers (24 total hires), Deloitte (23 total hires), JP Morgan Chase & Co. (22 total hires) and Amazon (21 total hires).
The reported median base salary for the Class of 2025 is $175,000, with 68.9 percent of hires reporting a median signing bonus of $30,000. Additionally, 15.5 percent reported other guaranteed compensation valued at a median of $32,000.
Top Industries and Median Salaries
Financial services positions led acceptances among CBS MBAs, with 35.4 percent moving into that industry, where the median base salary ranged from $123,398 to $175,000 by sector. Under the umbrella of financial services, roughly 17 percent went into investment banking followed by nearly seven percent into investment management. Consulting jobs reported a $190,000 median salary, recruiting 33.2 percent of the class. Ten percent took jobs in the tech industry, while 3.8 percent pursued real estate, and 3.7 percent accepted work in consumer goods.
| Financial Services | 35.4% | $123,398 – $175,000 |
| Consulting | 30.6% | $190,000 |
| Technology | 10.2% | $151,000 – $170,000 |
| Real Estate | 3.8% | $150,000 |
| Consumer Products | 3.7% | $127,500 – $132,00 |
Eighteen percent of MBA graduates headed overseas for work. Asia was the destination for seven percent of the class and five percent went to Central & South America. Another four percent headed to Europe and two percent found work in Africa and the Middle East. CBS does not break down U.S. regional placement, but 82 percent of graduates found work in the U.S.
