MBA Salary to Tuition Ratio

What is the ROI for an MBA?

Comparing Full-time MBA Starting Salary to Total Tuition and Fees

The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business has created an ‘MBA Salary to Tuition Ratio’ tool for evaluating top-ranked MBA programs. The ratio compares the median salary of full-time MBA program graduates to the total out-of-state tuition and fees for the two-year-program, allowing prospective students to gauge a program's cost-effectiveness. The tool can serve as a valuable indicator in assessing top-ranked programs and their potential return on investment (ROI).

If a salary to tuition ratio is high, it means that graduates typically earn a salary that is high relative to the total cost of tuition, making the program a stronger investment. On the other hand, a low ratio implies that the starting salary is not as high compared to tuition cost, indicating that the program may not offer as favorable of an ROI.

Other Factors to Consider

Aside from the MBA salary to tuition ratio, other considerations such as program reputation, desired career path, scholarships and fellowships, cost of living, and overall job market for MBA degree holders should also be taken into account. However, the salary to tuition ratio remains a useful tool in making an informed decision about your educational investment. Learn more about MBA salary increases and jobs you can get with an MBA.

Note: This table reflects 2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings, most recently published median starting salary data (if median data is not available, average salary is used), and most recently published out-of-state total tuition and fees.

Last updated: 4/12/2024

Salary to Tuition Ratio	U.S. News & World Report Ranking	School	Median Starting Salary	Tuition and Fees (Out-of-State Total)	% Received Offer
0.94	07 (Tie)	Yale University	$160,000	$170,800	84.8%
1.09	12 (Tie)	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ross)	$170,000	$156,392	91.0%
1.02	10 (Tie)	Dartmouth College (Tuck)	$175,000	$172,080	91.0%
1.07	10 (Tie)	University of Virginia (Darden)	$175,000	$163,400	93.0%
1.09*	15	Cornell University (Johnson)*	$175,000*	$159,820	94.0%*
0.94	16 (Tie)	Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)	$148,000	$158,120	89.0%
0.88	20 (Tie)	University of California, Los Angeles (Anderson)	$142,800	$162,496	85.0%
1.26	16 (Tie)	University of Texas, Austin (McCombs)	$150,000	$119,368	86.0%
1.06*	18 (Tie)	Emory University (Goizueta)*	$165,000*	$155,945	96.0%*
1.58	25	Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller)	$140,000	$88,672	88.4%
0.98	01 (Tie)	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	$175,000	$178,000	93.1%
0.99	03 (Tie)	University of Chicago (Booth)	$175,000	$175,978	86.8%
1.00	07 (Tie)	New York University (Stern)	$175,000	$175,792	86.1%
1.12	12 (Tie)	Duke University (Fuqua)	$175,000	$155,850	85.0%
0.91	18 (Tie)	University of Southern California (Marshall)	$138,000	$151,621	80.0%
1.00*	20 (Tie)	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flager)*	$146,779*	$146,302	89.0%*
1.10	24	Georgetown University (McDonough)	$148,000	$134,468	88.8%
1.11	20 (Tie)	Indiana University (Kelley)	$129,000	$116,200	---
1.01	20 (Tie)	Vanderbilt University (Owen)	$150,000	$147,984	91.0%
0.98	03 (Tie)	Northwestern University (Kellogg)	$170,000	$173,456	92.0%
1.11	01 (Tie)	Stanford University	$185,000	$166,476	88.0%
1.01	05	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)	$169,550	$168,700	85.1%
1.12	06	Harvard University	$175,000	$156,004	85.0%
0.94	07 (Tie)	University of California, Berkeley (Haas)	$160,000	$170,812	86.0%
0.93	12 (Tie)	Columbia University	$175,000	$188,314	89.0%