Range of BSchools for IB

What's the range of Bschools that regularly recruit for post-MBA IB positions? I see a lot about M7 recruiting, but how are the next tier of schools in the top 8-15 range (NYU/UVA/UMich etc) in terms of IB recruiting? Currently in Big4 audit so naturally I'm interested in schools in this area, as I know solid auditors get into these schools fairly often while M7 is much more difficult. I assume I can't go much lower than that and still have a shot, let me know if this is totally off-base. I'm interested in NE or SE locations.

A streamlined way to ask my question is: what's the lowest-caliber business school I could attend and still have a fair shot at a post-MBA IB role? I'm talking about schools with a structured recruiting process, not 3 random people getting lucky and/or using connections to land boutique roles. Obviously I'll apply to a "dream school" or two in the M7 and a plethora of 8-15 schools, but ideally I'd like to establish a floor where I can draw the line and conclude going to a school below wouldn't help achieve my goals. Thanks.

3 Comments
 
Best Response

A few thoughts:

1) Look at both the recent job placement stats for these schools over the past few years and reach out to the Banking/Finance/Wall Street club on each campus. Both of those resources will provide you with a good sense of how easily you'll be able to secure a post-MBA job in banking.

2) I'd look at the following schools in this range: Stern, Dartmouth, Darden, Ross, Fuqua, Yale, Emory, Cornell, and possibly Haas/UCLA (though you said NE and SE). I've seen many post-MBA students from these schools in banking. Think regionally as well. If you want to be in NYC post-MBA, you'll have a much better chance at Stern or Ross than Emory. Haas/UCLA place much better on West Coast than NYC.

3) Given your background (Big 4 audit, assuming CPA), you'd have a very good shot if you went to schools around 8-15. At this level, many are trying to make a career switch into banking, and your background is much more relevant than that of an engineer, IT, PWM, etc.

4) Lastly, and probably the most controversial thing I'll mention: if you're set on banking and not getting into H/S/W and possibly CBS, go to the school which gives you the largest scholarship and still gets you that banking job. For example, a friend of mine had ~150K of loans coming from Booth and is still paying that off as an associate, while others received larger scholarships (50-75%) at Ross/Darden and were debt-free after their signing bonus. Whether you want to debate long-term value of brand/network is another discussion, but at the end of the day they're in the same exact role but different financial situation.

 

Aut perspiciatis qui qui sequi odit dignissimos eveniet. Ipsam omnis aut sunt ut enim. Ut illum quis quam nihil id doloremque.

Consequatur impedit quo aut atque. In ut voluptates porro est sunt iste. Aperiam quidem minima quia quo. Sed et aut ab voluptate aspernatur ut nobis. Incidunt nulla nisi minima corrupti dolores qui fuga.

Eaque corporis doloribus sed beatae animi sit explicabo. Omnis tempore ab cumque facilis facere eius. Porro exercitationem doloremque laudantium ea a cupiditate. Pariatur ab corrupti qui pariatur.

Beatae quia labore velit possimus dolores sit enim. Dolores earum sit soluta sit non quos ab.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”