Earning your MBA from a prestigious business school can open doors and provide key industry connections for students. But does attending a top school pay off financially, especially given how expensive higher education has become?
Payscale provided data to CNBC Make It on how much alums of highly ranked business schools in the U.S. earn with 10 or more years of experience.
Graduates of Harvard Business School take home the largest checks, earning a median annual salary of $204,800. Here's how other top programs fare.
Harvard Business School, Harvard University
Business school ranking: 1 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $204,800
Tuition: $73,440
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $109,124
High job satisfaction: 82 percent
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Business school ranking: 1 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $184,300
Tuition: $76,580
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $109,450
High job satisfaction: 75 percent
Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
Business school ranking: 3
Mid-career median pay: $175,900
Tuition: $69,200
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $103,759
High job satisfaction: 70 percent
MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Business school ranking: 4 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $182,300
Tuition: $74,200
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $111,570
High job satisfaction: 81 percent
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Business school ranking: 4 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $174,200
Tuition: $68,955
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $100,217
High job satisfaction: 75 percent
Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
Business school ranking: 4 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $187,200
Tuition: $68,868
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $112,797
High job satisfaction: 91 percent
Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California—Berkeley
Business school ranking: 7
Mid-career median pay: $171,700
Tuition: $59,812 (out-of-state resident)
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $91,744
High job satisfaction: 80 percent
Columbia Business School, Columbia University
Business school ranking: 9 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $181,200
Tuition: $71,544
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $107,749
High job satisfaction: 69 percent
Yale School of Management, Yale University
Business school ranking: 9 (TIE)
Mid-career median pay: $160,100
Tuition: $69,500
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $97,435
High job satisfaction: 46 percent
Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Business school ranking: 11
Mid-career median pay: $151,100
Tuition: $67,300 (out-of-state resident)
Estimated annual cost of attendance: $91,036
High job satisfaction: 67 percent
Don't miss: Here's how much grads earn 10 years after attending the best universities in America
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