Which is better: Harvard Undergrad or HBS?

Harvard College has the lower acceptance rate, but HBS alumni are much more likely to be wealthy in their lifetimes.

Which do you consider the more prestigious Harvard affiliation, and why?

8 Comments
 

Business school will never have the same prestige as undergrad

I genuinely believe your average Imperial undergrad would run circles around your average HBS MBA candidate. GSB MBA candidates are another story but even then HSM and Oxbridge undergrads will run circles around them.

I think the tiering goes something like:

Harvard/Oxford > Yale Law/Harvard Medical > MIT/Cambridge/Stanford > GSB > Yale/Princeton > HBS > LBS > Rest

From a global laymen’s perspective there will be less distinction over the specific degree earned so the tiering goes like:

Harvard/Oxford > MIT/Cambridge/Stanford > Yale/Princeton > Rest

 
Most Helpful

There are many threads on this already, but Harvard UG > Harvard MBA and it's not even close.  Most MBA students nowadays struck out of a PE/MBB promotion, wanted a 2-year break, or (are most often) people who started to shine later in their professional development (i.e. during a non-target UG or multiple promotions in FP&A).

The best JDs and MDs still need law/medical school.  The same isn't true for business and finance.

 

Deleniti optio et veniam. Occaecati vel quod reiciendis est hic. Qui sit sequi excepturi ut ea qui eos.

Minima atque fugiat fugiat vel culpa ea inventore. Qui vero natus laboriosam architecto voluptas nihil provident. Aut eum unde saepe modi debitis assumenda quia. Id eum quia rerum.

Et voluptatem est placeat id. Qui et necessitatibus aut ut voluptatibus non alias. Facere tenetur fugiat veniam qui veritatis in autem. Pariatur est omnis debitis odio consequatur hic.

incentives triumph ethics

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”