Best undergrad target schools
I'm a freshman currently at a nontarget liberal arts school hoping to transfer to an Ivy this March
can you guys rank these schools in terms of targetness?
- Stanford
- UPenn SAS
- Columbia CC
- UChicago
- Northwestern
- Duke
- Dartmouth
- Cornell
I know that some schools have specific advantages e.g. Dartmouth ranks 3rd in PE behind Harvard and Wharton, so if any of you guys know about that for any school, feel free to drop that here.
About me: F, Asian (only one diversity buff :( , currently exploring both IBD and SnT
I'll be applying as a transfer student with a major that's completely unrelated to finance, and I am aware of their very different acceptance rates.
There’s no “best” school. All depends on what you want and where you think you’ll succeed. These schools are all great where you’ll end up doing well as long as you apply yourself.
My thoughts, for someone who is a non-diversity male, wants to be in NYC, for IB/PE, and wants a normal college experience (sports, partying, Greek life, getting laid, etc), I’d probably go:
Stanford
Dartmouth/Duke
Penn SAS/Columbia College/Northwestern
Cornell
Chicago
I mean out of these I would say Stanford is best chance for breaking into IB. The rest are pretty much tied. Lots of competition at every single one, especially as a transfer. For transfer rates - UChicago is highest, followed by Northwestern and Columbia. Cornell is inflated b/c of the guaranteed transfers they give out the year prior. Other ones like Duke and Upenn are very hard to transfer into so keep that in mind as well.
IMO UChicago or Northwestern are your best bet. they send insane amounts to IB, PE, Consulting, and more.
There's no way Stanford is the best. That school is the pipeline to the tech industry. UC Berkeley is the best school in California for IB.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a ranking of the schools you listed in terms of their "targetness" for investment banking and finance recruitment:
Additional Notes:
Given your interest in both IBD and SnT, all these schools are strong options, but the top-tier targets (Stanford, UPenn SAS, Columbia, Dartmouth) might give you a slight edge in terms of overall placement and alumni support.
Sources: The Comprehensive List of Transfer Friendly Schools For Investment Banking, The Comprehensive List of Transfer Friendly Schools For Investment Banking, Comprehensive List of Target Schools for Investment Banking, Comprehensive Undergraduate Target Schools Tier List 2020, Undergraduate Target Schools Tier List (2021 Updates)
Splitting hairs, they’re all good schools. If you can’t break in from any of those then the issue isn’t the school.
ah shit, here we go again
I'm also gonna apply to most of these schools in 2026.
For Finance, I think: Columbia>UPenn>Cornell>UChicago>Duke>Dartmouth>Northwestern>Stanford
Personally, I think: UChicago>Columbia>Cornell>Duke>Darthmouth>UPenn>Northwestern>Stanford
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