MBA Rankings 2026? MBA -> IB -> PE
I originally completed a finance-focused masters degree from my undergraduate institution (non-target) and failed to break into IB approximately five years ago. I never gave up on my goal.
I’m here again to put my best foot forward to finally break into IB. My long term goal is PE, then the obvious dream of opening my own shop.
Besides the obvious ones (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, UChicagoetc.) what are the 2026 rankings for MBA IB recruiting? Assuming I break into IB, which school fares best for PE placement? How do smaller schools fare in IB recruiting (Dartmouth Tuck, MIT, UVA, UC Berkeley, Georgetown) Let’s debate!
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Harvard / Stanford
Wharton
Everything else is garbage and not worth your $
For IB recruiting i would say Wharton, Columbia, NYU and Cornell Johnson are the most represented. But i’d say banking is achievable at any of the top 20 programs so consider other factors when applying like where you want to live and the culture of the school
Buddy you are delusional.... "My long term goal is PE, then the obvious dream of opening my own shop". Why is PE your long-term goal? It is a dying industry, you can make more money and have better progression in IB. And don't feed me the BS response of it is more interesting or you're a principal or "investor" (LMAO).
What shop do you want to open? PE shop? You want to be an "investor" in LMM shitcos?
Enlighten me further! I was thinking lifelong banking as a backup but I plan to have a family. My determining factor is not money, rather the opportunity to achieve something great and owning my own firm and managing people/enabling their success lines up with that goal. What am I missing? Enlighten me!
All good, but why do throw in PE then? Like what is PE going to give you to achieve your ultimate goal of opening your own "shop". You can do that now. You don't need IB or PE for it
Can you do a masters again? U already got one
For PE, it is Harvard / Stanford, then a noticeable drop to Wharton. That's the list. There are also placements from UChicago into midwest firms. 90%+ of all MBA PE recruiting is people that did PE before the MBA to get a VP (or increasingly senior associate at some very desirable shops) roles. IB as an MBA to PE at top firms is very unlikely, maybe can get LMM/MM shops to bite if you can tell a great story / are really strong. Large-cap PE shops tend to be very risk adverse and hire from the undergrad pipelines.
very interesting... so breaking into IB through MBA limits your options for PE recruiting?
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