What do NYU Stern MBA grads do next?

TL;DR

• Around 85% of 2025 Stern MBA graduates accepted a job offer within three months of graduation. The figure peaked at 94% in 2023

• The bulk of Stern MBA grads end up in finance (36.6%) and consulting (32.8%). The next most popular industry is tech (14.2%)

• Average total compensation has remained at around $210k for the last few years

Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York University’s Stern School of Management has been awarding management degrees for over a century. 

Ranked in the top 25 globally by the likes of QS and the Financial Times Global MBA rankings, NYU Stern has a justified reputation as one of the leading business schools in the world. It does so in part because of the excellent track record of success for its graduates.

For the class of 2025, the school’s employment report shows that 86% of graduates accepted a job offer within three months of graduation, although this was a slight drop from the 2023 rate of 94% of grads landing roles in the same time period.

So what caused this slight dip? Which industries are NYU Stern MBA grads moving into? And how much do they typically earn? We've analyzed the school's latest MBA employment report to find out.

What are the most popular industries for NYU Stern MBA graduates?

Thanks perhaps to its proximity to New York’s financial district, NYU Stern is well known as one of the best business schools for finance.

As has been the case for a number of years, the top two industries for Stern's 2025 MBA graduates were finance and consulting. Just under one-third (32.8%) of graduates moved into consulting, while 36.6% are now working in finance. Within finance, the bulk of Stern MBA graduates end up in investment banking (28% of the whole 2025 cohort).

Interestingly, the tech industry saw a rebound in 2025. While in 2024 just 9.1% of Stern MBA grads moved into the sector, that figure increased to 14.2% in 2025. However, this is still below 2021 when almost 20% of MBA grads entered tech.

Although consulting, finance and tech accounted for more than 80% of Stern MBA graduates' roles, students also moved into areas such as healthcare (3.4%), law (3.4%), and consumer packaged goods (3.4%).

Which companies hire NYU Stern MBAs?

After a drop in recruitment by the Big Three consulting firms (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company) in 2024, hiring rebounded somewhat in 2025.

While 2023 saw the Big Three hire a total of 49 Stern MBA grads, that figure dipped to 21 in 2024. However, there was an upward shift in 2025 as 30 members of the class were hired by the Big Three.

The figure partly explains why overall, Stern consulting hires fell from 41.9% in 2023 to 32.87% in 2025. It’s also reflective of the wider picture in the consulting industry, where starting salaries have been frozen, and job cuts have been announced over the past 12 months.

What's the average NYU Stern MBA salary?

Despite the overall dip in hiring straight out of class, the numbers around salary remained promising for NYU Stern in 2025.

In 2023, Stern MBA graduates received a median base salary of $175,000: the highest ever for the school. This was matched in 2024 and remained the same again in 2025. When you include the average signing bonus, average compensation in 2025 reached a cool $210,000.

Across industries, the picture for Stern MBA grads was mixed, however. Median consulting salaries fell from $188,000 in 2023 to $175,000 in 2025, and remained at $175,000 in financial services. However, tech salaries saw an increase: from an average of $143,500 to $152,500 this year. 

It’s also worth pointing out that median weekly internship salaries slipped from $3,288 to $2,885 for the class of 2025. Whether that fall will be reflected in the 2026 graduating salaries remains to be seen.

So how does all of this affect the return on investment of the NYU Stern MBA?

The Stern MBA has a total estimated cost of around $136k per year, including tuition and living expenses. That means the total cost of the two-year program is around $272k.

Based on the median starting salary from the 2025 employment report, grads can expect an annual ROI of 7.4%, and a total return of $489,911 over 10 years. According to the Bloomberg MBA ROI calculator, that’s slightly under the median 12.3% ROI at top US schools. 

Who is the NYU Stern MBA for?

There’s no doubt about it: if you study at Stern, there’s a very good chance you’ll move into a career in consulting or finance afterwards. More than 70% of the class of 2025 are now working in those two industries, with more than one in four MBA graduates working in investment banking alone.

Since opening its doors in 1900, the school has welcomed many students who went on to make names for themselves in the financial sector. These include Fortune 500 CEOs and CFOs from companies including American Express and Chase Manhattan Bank.

Although hiring across the tech industry rebounded to 14% in 2025, the figure was still below its 19% peak in 2021—a trend that’s reflective of the wider MBA industry.

More than 80% of the Stern class of 2025 are now based in the northeast of the US. So if you're looking to launch a career in New York’s financial district, Stern could be an attractive prospect.