Consulting jobs offer lucrative pay.
Many MBA graduates flock to the consulting sector after graduation, partly because of the industry’s high salaries. Jobs in this field offer a variety of roles and the ability to work in different industries and locations. According to U.S. News data from 88 business schools that submitted information on 2020 grads’ average salary for consulting and their average salary across all sectors, those working in the consulting field earned about 7.5% more on average. These base salary figures do not include bonuses, such as signing or annual bonuses. Some B-schools whose grads historically have received high pay as consultants did not report salary figures this year. Recent grads at the following 45 business schools earned the most in consulting compared to alumni of other B-schools that reported compensation numbers, with an average base salary of about $136,381.
Brigham Young University (Marriott) (UT)
U.S. News business school rank: 31 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 42.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $108,371
Average consulting salary (2020): $110,909
Learn more about the Marriott School of Business.
George Washington University (DC)
U.S. News business school rank: 53 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 35.8%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $99,885
Average consulting salary (2020): $111,583
Learn more about the George Washington University School of Business.
University of Pittsburgh (Katz)
U.S. News business school rank: 52
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 36.6%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $102,565
Average consulting salary (2020): $112,667
Learn more about the Katz Graduate School of Business.
Pennsylvania State University–University Park (Smeal)
U.S. News business school rank: 33 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 20.1%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $114,723
Average consulting salary (2020): $112,778
Learn more about the Smeal College of Business.
Ohio State University (Fisher)
U.S. News business school rank: 33 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 40%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $110,484
Average consulting salary (2020): $114,898
Learn more about the Max M. Fisher College of Business.
University of Georgia (Terry)
U.S. News business school rank: 39 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 37.4%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $112,396
Average consulting salary (2020): $115,000
Learn more about the Terry College of Business.
University of Rochester (Simon) (NY)
U.S. News business school rank: 33 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 24.5%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $115,833
Average consulting salary (2020): $115,400
Learn more about Simon Business School.
University of California–Davis
U.S. News business school rank: 53 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 44.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $117,714
Average consulting salary (2020): $115,402
Learn more about the UC–Davis Graduate School of Management.
North Carolina State University (Poole)
U.S. News business school rank: 64 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 49.7%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $103,499
Average consulting salary (2020): $115,599
Learn more about the Poole College of Management.
Temple University (Fox) (PA)
U.S. News business school rank: 84 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 51.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $95,528
Average consulting salary (2020): $117,542
Learn more about the Richard J. Fox School of Business.
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)
U.S. News business school rank: 28 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 53.8%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $116,995
Average consulting salary (2020): $124,364
Learn more about the Carlson School of Management.
University of Florida (Warrington)
U.S. News business school rank: 26 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 26.6%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $109,466
Average consulting salary (2020): $125,700
Learn more about the Warrington College of Business.
Howard University (DC)
U.S. News business school rank: 64 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 39.5%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $114,654
Average consulting salary (2020): $125,750
Learn more about the Howard University School of Business.
University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
U.S. News business school rank: 42 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 45.8%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $115,268
Average consulting salary (2020): $126,400
Learn more about the Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays)
U.S. News business school rank: 38
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 42.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $113,232
Average consulting salary (2020): $127,500
Learn more about Mays Business School.
Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)
U.S. News business school rank: 36 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 47%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $113,822
Average consulting salary (2020): $128,133
Learn more about Olin Business School.
Southern Methodist University (Cox) (TX)
U.S. News business school rank: 44 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 35.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $106,794
Average consulting salary (2020): $129,000
Learn more about the Cox School of Business.
Michigan State University (Broad)
U.S. News business school rank: 39 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 47%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $110,311
Average consulting salary (2020): $130,700
Learn more about the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management.
Boston College (Carroll)
U.S. News business school rank: 44 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 58.8%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $108,659
Average consulting salary (2020): $133,889
Learn more about the Carroll School of Management.
University of Washington (Foster)
U.S. News business school rank: 22
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 41.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $125,474
Average consulting salary (2020): $135,146
Learn more about the Michael G. Foster School of Business.
University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) (IN)
U.S. News business school rank: 36 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 49%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $113,149
Average consulting salary (2020): $135,723
Learn more about the Mendoza College of Business.
Indiana University (Kelley)
U.S. News business school rank: 23 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 42.7%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $120,310
Average consulting salary (2020): $136,086
Learn more about the Kelley School of Business.
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
U.S. News business school rank: 20
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 52.5%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $126,957
Average consulting salary (2020): $139,110
Learn more about Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Rice University (Jones) (TX)
U.S. News business school rank: 25
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 39.5%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $123,786
Average consulting salary (2020): $141,818
Learn more about the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller)
U.S. News business school rank: 28 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 37.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $121,045
Average consulting salary (2020): $142,176
Learn more about the Scheller College of Business.
Vanderbilt University (Owen) (TN)
U.S. News business school rank: 23 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 46.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $126,137
Average consulting salary (2020): $143,387
Learn more about the Owen Graduate School of Management.
Yale University (CT)
U.S. News business school rank: 9
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 29.7%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $136,710
Average consulting salary (2020): $145,131
Learn more about the Yale School of Management.
Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
U.S. News business school rank: 26 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 46.1%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $130,112
Average consulting salary (2020): $145,542
Learn more about Goizueta Business School.
Georgetown University (McDonough) (DC)
U.S. News business school rank: 21
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 56.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $128,162
Average consulting salary (2020): $145,812
Learn more about the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business.
University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
U.S. News business school rank: 7 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 23.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $139,423
Average consulting salary (2020): $147,020
Learn more about the Haas School of Business.
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
U.S. News business school rank: 18 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 36.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $128,586
Average consulting salary (2020): $147,539
Learn more about the McCombs School of Business.
University of Southern California (Marshall)
U.S. News business school rank: 16 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 24.3%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $132,844
Average consulting salary (2020): $147,894
Learn more about the Marshall School of Business.
Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA)
U.S. News business school rank: 16 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 27.7%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $135,035
Average consulting salary (2020): $148,622
Learn more about the Tepper School of Business.
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
U.S. News business school rank: 18 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 34.4%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $132,460
Average consulting salary (2020): $150,049
Learn more about the Anderson School of Management.
Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
U.S. News business school rank: 4
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 27.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $142,857
Average consulting salary (2020): $150,575
Learn more about the Kellogg School of Management.
Columbia University (NY)
U.S. News business school rank: 7 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 13.6%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $146,334
Average consulting salary (2020): $151,136
Learn more about Columbia Business School.
Harvard University (MA)
U.S. News business school rank: 5 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 9.2%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $150,776
Average consulting salary (2020): $151,342
Learn more about Harvard Business School.
Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
U.S. News business school rank: 12
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 24.9%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $135,935
Average consulting salary (2020): $151,692
Learn more about the Fuqua School of Business.
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
U.S. News business school rank: 13 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 37%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $136,679
Average consulting salary (2020): $152,022
Learn more about the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
New York University (Stern)
U.S. News business school rank: 10 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 29%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $143,858
Average consulting salary (2020): $152,433
Learn more about the Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
U.S. News business school rank: 10 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 34.8%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $143,867
Average consulting salary (2020): $155,749
Learn more about the Tuck School of Business.
University of Virginia (Darden)
U.S. News business school rank: 13 (tie)
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 35.1%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $139,945
Average consulting salary (2020): $155,997
Learn more about the Darden School of Business.
University of Chicago (Booth)
U.S. News business school rank: 3
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 27.6%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $157,098
Average consulting salary (2020): $147,977
Learn more about the Booth School of Business.
Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
U.S. News business school rank: 15
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 39.6%
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $138,767
Average consulting salary (2020): $157,337
Learn more about the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Stanford University (CA)
U.S. News business school rank: 1
Full-time acceptance rate (2020): 8.9%
Average consulting salary (2020): $159,544
Average salary among all sectors (2020): $157,497
Learn more about the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Learn how to identify B-schools that prepare students for consulting careers.
Discover ways to identify MBA programs that often lead to jobs at top consulting firms. Explore the Best Business Schools rankings and learn about the strategy MBA concentration, a type of MBA specialization that aspiring consultants often choose.
Explore the 45 MBA programs with the highest average consulting salaries.
— Stanford University: $157,497
— Cornell University (Johnson): $157,337
— University of Chicago (Booth): $157,098
— University of Virginia (Darden): $155,997
— Dartmouth College (Tuck): $155,749
— New York University (Stern): $152,433
— University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross): $152,022
— Duke University (Fuqua): $151,692
— Harvard University: $151,342
— Columbia University: $151,136
— Northwestern University (Kellogg): $150,575
— University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson): $150,049
— Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper): $148,622
— University of Southern California (Marshall): $147,894
— University of Texas–Austin (McCombs): $147,539
— University of California–Berkeley (Haas): $147,020
— Georgetown University (McDonough): $145,812
— Emory University (Goizueta): $145,542
— Yale University: $145,131
— Vanderbilt University (Owen): $143,387
— Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller): $142,176
— Rice University (Jones): $141,818
— University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler): $139,110
— Indiana University (Kelley): $136,086
— University of Notre Dame (Mendoza): $135,723
— University of Washington (Foster): $135,146
— Boston College (Carroll): $133,889
— Michigan State University (Broad): $130,700
— Southern Methodist University (Cox): $129,000
— Washington University in St. Louis (Olin): $128,133
— Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays): $127,500
— University of Maryland–College Park (Smith): $126,400
— Howard University: $125,750
— University of Florida (Warrington): $125,700
— University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson): $124,364
— Temple University (Fox): $117,542
— North Carolina State University (Poole): $115,599
— University of California–Davis: $115,402
— University of Rochester (Simon): $115,400
— University of Georgia (Terry): $115,000
— Ohio State University (Fisher): $114,898
— Pennsylvania State University–University Park (Smeal): $112,778
— University of Pittsburgh (Katz): $112,667
— George Washington University: $111,583
— Brigham Young University (Marriott): $110,909
More from U.S. News
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Update 07/08/21: This slideshow has been updated to reflect ranks and data from the 2022 U.S. News Best Business Schools rankings.
