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Students pursuing an MBA in hope of a salary bump are likely making a wise bet. MBA graduates from the class of 2014 who received early job offers expected a median salary increase of 80 percent, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council.
Some of those MBA graduates will have to balance their higher paychecks with significant student loans. But for the lucky ones with large salaries and relatively little debt, the future is looking bright.
Explore ways to [pay for an MBA.]
Prospective MBA students who want to be able to pay their student loans off after graduation might want to head to the University of Tulsa, which has the highest salary-to-debt ratio of all 82 ranked schools that reported the data to U.S. News. At the Oklahoma school, full-time students who were employed within three months of graduation in 2014 earned an average starting salary of $61,055 three months after graduation. Among graduates who borrowed to pay for their MBA degree, the average student debt load, excluding undergraduate debt, was only $10,522.
Several schools in Oklahoma’s neighboring states, including Texas, Missouri and Louisiana, also have high salary-to-debt ratios.
Students looking for the top-ranked MBA program with a high salary-to-debt ratio should continue westward to the University of Washington. At that school, ranked No. 23 by U.S. News, 2014 graduates employed within three months left with an average salary of $105,680. Students who borrowed for graduate school had an average student debt of $29,720.
Discover the [MBA programs with the most employed graduates.]
They can count themselves as lucky.
At Claremont Graduate University, the school with the lowest salary-to-debt ratio, student outcomes were very different. MBA graduates employed within three months of graduation from the California school had an average salary of $60,267. Of those who borrowed graduate school funds, the average debt load was $81,621.
The average salary of 2014 graduates employed within three months was $84,914 and the average debt load among 2014 graduates who borrowed for business school was $56,657 for the 82 schools that reported both figures.
Below is a list of the 10 universities where graduates likely had an easy time managing their student loan debt. College of Charleston is labeled Rank Not Published, or RNP, meaning it ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates ranks for these schools but has decided not to publish them.
Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| Business school (name) (state) | Average starting salary | Average MBA student debt | Salary-to-debt ratio | U.S. News b-school rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tulsa (Collins) (OK) | $61,055 | $10,522 | 5.803 | 83 (tie) |
| Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge (Ourso) | $56,656 | $9,987 | 5.673 | 77 (tie) |
| College of Charleston (SC) | $62,000 | $14,200 | 4.366 | RNP |
| University of Washington (Foster) | $105,680 | $29,720 | 3.556 | 23 |
| University of Connecticut | $101,562 | $29,727 | 3.416 | 48 (tie) |
| Brigham Young University (Marriott) (UT) | $96,673 | $28,386 | 3.406 | 33 (tie) |
| Baylor University (Hankamer) (TX) | $71,840 | $21,480 | 3.345 | 58 (tie) |
| Texas Tech University (Rawls) | $57,107 | $17,575 | 3.249 | 91 (tie) |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst (Isenberg) | $81,583 | $28,240 | 2.889 | 74 (tie) |
| University of Missouri (Trulaske) | $57,219 | $21,383 | 2.676 | 79 (tie) |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Business School Compass to find salary data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 464 schools for our 2014 survey of business programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Business Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The salary and debt data above are correct as of April 28, 2015.
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