RECAP: US News —10 MBA Programs With the Highest Signing Bonuses

Each year, prospective MBAs and college administrators eagerly await for U.S. News & World Report’s annual MBA rankings. The list has become one of the top MBA rankings in the country, and is calculated by self-reported data from 471 business schools regarding its academic programs and the makeup of its student body, among other areas.

This year, U.S. News & World Report launched its Short List—a regular series of rankings separate from the overall rankings that “magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas.” Several lists include The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School, The Short List: Online Programs and 10 MBA Programs With the Highest Signing Bonuses.

In this post, we’ll recap the 10 highest MBA signing bonus averages—a list of the U.S. business schools whose MBA graduates leave business school with both high-paying jobs and large signing bonuses. According to U.S. News, when an MBA program’s graduates receive hefty signing bonuses, that is a sign that its alumni have marketable skills.

So how’s the list shake out? At the 10 business schools where 2016 full-time MBA graduates received the highest signing bonuses, the average was $30,703. The overall average bonus among the 112 ranked business schools that reported signing bonus data to U.S. News in the annual survey was $15,887. Not surprisingly, all 10 programs where grads had the highest average signing bonuses ranked within the top 20 of the overall rankings.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the list:

1. University of Pennsylvania Wharton – $33,433 average signing bonus

Located in Philadelphia, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1881 by Joseph Wharton. Wharton was the first dedicated school of business at the college level in the United States. It is universally regarded as the premier business school in the United States, and ranked first overall (tie) in the U.S. News overall MBA ranking. The school offers offers a full-time MBA program and an Executive MBA program, as well as certificate programs and a number of opportunities to pursue dual degrees. Among the joint degrees is the MBA/MA Lauder Joint Degree in International Studies, designed to prepare students for careers in international management. At Wharton, 420 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

2. New York University Stern – $31,717 average signing bonus

The New York University Stern School of Business offers a full-time, part-time, Executive MBA degree and a TRIUM Global Executive MBA in conjunction with the London School of Economics and the HEC School of Management in Paris. The AACSB accredited school had 227 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation. U.S. News ranks Stern as the 12th best MBA program in the country.

3. Columbia University School of Business – $31,472 average signing bonus

The Columbia Business School (CBS) began awarding the MBA degree in 1945 and became a graduate-only program in 1952. Today, Columbia Business School offers a full-time and an Executive MBA program. The 9th ranked school in U.S. News rankings had 265 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

4. University of Virginia Darden School of Business – $31,370 average signing bonus

Located in Charlottesville, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business features a full-time MBA as well as two executive MBA options. The 14th best MBA program in U.S. News overall rankings, Darden is known for its case method approach, where each student will examine more than 500 business cases over the course of the two-year MBA program. At Darden, 234 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

5. Cornell University S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management – $30,904 average signing bonus

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management offers two full-time MBA options as well as two executive MBA programs. U.S. News 16th ranked school also recently launched a new one-year MBA program at Cornell Tech in NYC focusing on the intersection of technology and business. A reported 183 MBA graduates were offered a signing bonus following graduation.

6. University of Chicago Booth School of Business – $30,704 average signing bonus

Home to the nation’s first Executive MBA program, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business is one of the premiere business schools in the country and offers full-time, Evening, Weekend and Executive MBA programs. The 3rd overall ranked school in the U.S. News rankings had 297 MBA graduates report a signing bonus following graduation.

7. Anderson School of Management – UCLA – $30,300 average signing bonus

Founded as the College of Business Administration in 1935, the school initially taught vocational business skills, such as typing, shorthand and penmanship to people who would be teaching others. In 1936, the school earned national accreditation, and in 1939 the MBA degree was authorized. The program was renamed the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA in 1987 in honor of Anderson’s $15 million gift to the program. Today, the school offers a full-time, two year MBA program, as well as a part-time, Executive and Global Executive MBA programs in Asia and the Americas. A reported 187 MBA graduates were offered a signing bonus following graduation at the 15th best ranked school in U.S. News rankings.

8. Harvard Business School – $29,134 average signing bonus

Harvard Business School is home to one of the world’s first established MBA programs, and shares the number one ranking in U.S. News overall list with Wharton. Along with its full-time MBA program, HBS offers dual degree options like a JD/MBA, an MD/MBA and a DMD/MBA, all offered in conjunction with other Harvard graduate schools. HBS also partners with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to offer a Master of Public Policy/MBA and a Master of Public Administration-International Development/MBA. The AACSB accredited school had 411 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

9. Duke University Fuqua School of Business – $29,038 average signing bonus

The Duke University Fuqua School of Business ranked 12th (tie) in the U.S. News overall rankings. Duke’s business school is well-known for its strong healthcare education and the emphasis it places on teamwork among its MBA students. Along with other post-graduate offerings in business, Fuqua provides students four routes to completing the MBA: the full-time MBA, cross-continent MBA, Global Executive MBA and Weekend Executive MBA. The AACSB accredited school had 247 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

10. Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business – $28,962 average signing bonus

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth offers only a full-time MBA program with no part-time or executive options, though students may pursue joint or dual degrees in conjunction with Dartmouth and other leading universities. The school is ranked 8th in the U.S. News overall rankings and had 180 MBA graduates reported a signing bonus following graduation.

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