Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Post-MBA Consulting Industry Placement
Consulting is one of the most popular post-MBA industry choices for business school candidates, alongside finance and tech. It’s a dynamic field with diverse clients, strategic challenges and more. In this edition of Real Numbers of MBA Admissions, see the percentages of MBA grads who joined the consulting industry.
| Business School | % in Consulting |
|---|---|
| Boston College Carroll School of Management | 13% |
| Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business | 2% |
| Cambridge Judge Business School | 14% |
| Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business | 26% |
| Columbia Business School | 31% |
| Cornell University SC Johnson Graduate School of Management | 31% |
| Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business | 44% |
| Duke University Fuqua School of Business | 39% |
| Emory University Goizueta School of Business | 41% |
| Esade | 21%* |
| ESCP | 35%* |
| ESMT Berlin | 33%* |
| Georgetown University McDonough School of Business | 36% |
| Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business | 43% |
| Harvard Business School | 18% |
| HEC Paris | 25% |
| IE | 15%* |
| IESE | 41% |
| IMD | 16%* |
| Imperial | 23%* |
| Indiana University Kelley School of Business | 24% |
| INSEAD | 55% |
| Johns Hopkins Carey Business School | 30%* |
| London Business School | 42% |
| Manchester AMBS | 21%* |
| Michigan State University Eli Broad Graduate School of Management | 16% |
| MIT Sloan School of Management | 32% |
| Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management | 35% |
| Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business | 30% |
| NYU Stern School of Business | 37% |
| Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business | 20% |
| Oxford Saïd Business School | 27%* |
| Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business | 20% |
| SDA Bocconi School of Management | 17%* |
| SMU Cox | 32% |
| Stanford Graduate School of Business | 14% |
| UC Berkeley Haas School of Business | 25% |
| UCI Merage | 5% |
| UCLA Anderson School of Management | 25% |
| University of Bath | 14%* |
| University of Chicago Booth School of Business | 34% |
| University of Edinburgh Business School | 13% |
| University of Florida Warrington | 13%* |
| University of Georgia Terry | 33% |
| University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business | 36% |
| University of Minnesota Curtis L. Carlson School of Management | 13% |
| University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School | 21% |
| University of Rochester Simon Business School | 14% |
| USC Marshall School of Business | 28% |
| UT Austin McCombs School of Business | 30% |
| University of Toronto Rotman | 31%* |
| UVA Darden School of Business | 43% |
| UW Foster School of Business | 33% |
| Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Business | 32% |
| Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School | 6% |
| The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania | 25% |
| Yale School of Management | 32% |
*Class of 2023
^Classes of 2021 & 2022
The percentages for consulting industry placement in this edition of Real Numbers of MBA Admissions are based on the full-time graduating Classes of 2024 unless otherwise noted.
MBA Applywire
Profile Review: Banking/PE Experience for INSEAD GEMBA (May '27) / LBS EMBA (Jan '28) – Consulting Pivot?
Hi all, looking for a reality check on my profile for top-tier EMBAs with a goal of pivoting into Management Consulting (MBB).
Background:
\* Age: 33 at enrollment
\* Current Role: Associate Director in a major Nordic bank (Corporate Banking/PE/Risk focus).
\* Work Experience: \~7+ years.
\* Current: Lead on liquidity strategy, PE value creation, and covenant restructuring. I manage high-value client portfolios day-to-day, though formal people management/team lead is handled by a Director.
\* Previous: Senior Analyst in Tier-1 US Bulge Bracket and Senior Consultant (Big 4, fast-track promotion).
\* Education: MSc in Finance & Accounting (Top Nordic BS).
\* The GPA Weakness: My academic GPA is on the lower side. However, I have a CFA Level I and have won some industry business cases while at Uni. I’m hoping my professional track record offsets the academic record.
\* Extracurriculars: Board member experience (Mensa/Non-profits).
Goals:
\* Target Programs: INSEAD GEMBA (Flex, May 2027 intake) or LBS EMBA (Blended, Jan 2028 intake).
\* Why MBA: Pivot from finance into Strategy Consulting (MBB) or PE (whom I advise daily).
Questions:
1. How much will a lower GPA hurt me at INSEAD/LBS if my professional trajectory is strong?
2. Does not having formal direct reports (but managing high-stakes client portfolios) hurt my candidacy for these senior-level programs?
3. Is an EMBA actually "consulting-pivot friendly" for someone already at an Associate Director-level in finance?
Appreciate any insights or past experiences from similar paths, thank you!
I’ve been in the cybersecurity space for about 5 years starting at a global Fortune 100 insurance firm before moving to my current org in the critical infrastructure sector. Currently a senior in incident response, I started as an intern. While the role is technical, my focus is on the strategic orchestration of response. Think stakeholder engagement, legal/PR/C-suite coordination, regulatory reporting, compliance, risk.
Outside of work I’m on the board of a non profit(not cybersecurity based), serving as the director of strategy and program development. I also volunteer to do pro-bono cyber consulting for NGOs, focusing more on the governance, planning, and strategic posture but also on other aspects of cybersecurity.
My academic path was non trad: BS cybersecurity from competency based program (pass/fail) then MS cybersecurity from NYU (3.6) working full time through both. Have a number of cyber related certifications, technical and non technical. Became more interested in an MBA last year.
Post-MBA, I’d like to transition into digital strategy consulting(MBB) and eventually move into private equity portfolio operations (focusing on tech strategy and value creation rather than the investment side). Given my professional and academic background which programs should I look into? Selected a few but don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m in test prep right now for the GRE, targeting 325+.
Domestic ORM Male
BA Econ (T10 Public) - 3.46 GPA
MS Info Systems (T10 Public) - 3.50 GPA
Passed CFA L1 (L2 in progress)
4 years in Financial Reporting at a large asset manager (A2A promotion)
1 year in Investor Relations at LMM PE firm (potential promo to Senior Associate by application time)
Working on joining a reputable nonprofit ASAP to start gaining volunteer experience + potentially gain a leadership position
Post-MBA goal: Investment Banking (preferably NYC but open to anywhere on east coast + Chicago + Texas)
MBA LiveWire
They called, I missed it. I called back AdCom interviewer confirmed I was accepted