Harvard/Stanford vs. Dartmouth/Kellogg

For those who qualify for the full Post 9/11 GI Bill and attendant Yellow Ribbon Program Benefits, an MBA from Tuck or Kellogg would cost about $35k in total less than one from Stanford or Harvard. Curious as to thoughts on whether the quality/prestige/earning potential of the latter two institutions would justify the difference in price?

6 Comments
 

i mean as an employer, would you rather hire a top mba grad or a top 7 grad? I would definitely pay an extra 35k to be in the absolute top tier of graduates

 

I disagree with the above comments. For someone with what I assume your background is (i.e. experience as a military officer, but no relevant private sector experience), your realistically going to be targeting either MBB or plain vanilla IB as your top career destinations.

Whether your coming out of HBS or Tuck, your going to be getting the same ~$130K + bonus pay package. Similarly, after adjusting for the strength of the student body & interest, placement in these careers is not meaningfully different across the M7 + Tuck. Banking and MBB interviews are for all intents and purposes open sign-up for those who don't shoot themselves in the foot during a coffee chat or networking dinner.

If your going to drop the extra $35K for HBS or GSB, you should realize that your doing it primarily for the prestige, and on the off chance that at some point down the road it will matter to your career that your bschool alumni network is 10% more baller. Among this group of schools, the name on your sheepskin will have minimal impact on your first post-bschool placement (NOTE: Does not apply below Tuck, stick to the M7 + Tuck).

Also, just so you can properly weight the validity of my opinion, I have an MBA from a top school and work for one of MBB through the engagement manager level.

 

Id ea nesciunt commodi. Ab sint voluptas eaque qui illo quia qui. Earum quod ex non. Et nihil minus aliquam laudantium.

Molestiae voluptate qui blanditiis commodi vel odio. Reprehenderit quis sint pariatur blanditiis consequatur aut consequuntur. Eum et fugiat quia sit enim sapiente nihil. Corporis et autem et qui laudantium in quod.

Non molestias eveniet tempora fugiat. Ut aspernatur sed laborum rerum doloremque id. Unde vel corrupti est debitis reiciendis assumenda et. Quo ut delectus ad dolorem ratione cupiditate aut. Minima eius ea sed libero sit enim odio alias. Minima quo enim possimus dolorem incidunt tempora.

Nam dolorem temporibus perferendis et. Fuga mollitia sit autem rem. Laboriosam voluptatibus accusamus quis asperiores nam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 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

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (24) $180
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”