Students who entered the world of business after studying an MBA at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2017 have received some of the highest compensation packages in the world.
According to Poets & Quants, the average first-year compensation for a Stanford MBA in 2017 was $227,768 after combining a graduate’s base salary potential with all of the other added compensations and a bonuses, not including any potential performance awards.
Stanford’s MBA graduation class could reportedly expect an average total compensation of $180, 284, which was an increase from last year’s average compensation of $179,346.
Stanford MBA graduates are also up to receive tuition reimbursement, auto allowances, profit sharing, 401K match plans and reimbursement of relocation expenses.
Students have also been to know to receive stock options and restricted stock grants in their offer letters.
Median base salaries also rose from $136,000 to $140,000 this year, with just over half of Stanford’s MBA students receiving the median $25,000 sign-on bonus after accepting a job.
The average expected base salary for Stanford MBA graduates also rose in 2017, with an increase from $140,553 to $144,455 according to Poets & Quants.
Stanford University Assistant Dean and Career Management Center Director Maeve Richard said the future certainly seemed bright for Stanford MBA students, with potential for high job compensation only increasing.
“Last year, 383 companies came to recruit on campus,” she told Poets & Quants.
“This year it was 411 companies. And for quite a long while, our trend was about 350 to 355.
“The increase speaks to the strength of the market but also student desires to really go out for what they are looking for.
“The good news is that they are finding what they were looking for,” she said.
In contrast, Harvard Business School reported a median total pay of $174,600 for its MBA graduates.
Together the base compensation and the other benefits Poets & Quants revealed that the highest paid members of Stanford’s Class of 2017 was a student who received a job with a venture capital firm where the salary was $285,000.
Poets & Quants revealed that 73% of MBA students graduating from Stanford received a job offer after completing their studies in 2017, but 64% of those accepted their offers, while acceptances three months later hit 88%.
“Many students have a couple of opportunities to choose from and they want to take their time to make sure they accept what they really want,” Richard said.
“We are providing more guidance as a school in terms of encouraging students to choose a little sooner.
The highest sign-on bonus–$77,000–was given to a grad who went to work for a hedge fund and the top other guaranteed compensation, which also went to a student recruited to a hedge fund, was $450,000.
