Incoming NYU Stern two-year Full-time MBA students in the Tisch Hall Lobby ahead of LAUNCH, Stern’s MBA orientation.
At New York University Stern’s campus in Manhattan, you can feel the pulse of the financial district just blocks away. It wasn’t just geography—it was an atmosphere. For MBAs who aim for banking, being in New York City offers an almost-natural acceleration. And Stern has used that location–a subway stop or two away from the world’s biggest financial firms– to its advantage.
Stern’s latest employment report makes the school’s momentum unmistakable. For the MBA Class of 2024 at the Stern School of Business, 35.7% of graduates accepted roles in financial services overall, and 27.4% landed in investment banking alone—the highest share in five years. Even in a cooling job market, that figure stands out at a time when many peer schools saw declines across finance pipelines.
The internship picture mirrors that strength. For the Class of 2024, 26.2% of MBA interns stepped into investment-banking seats, reinforcing Stern’s well-known pattern: students get early exposure, build relationships during the summer, and often convert those roles into full-time offers. In fact, in the prior class, 63.2% of accepted full-time job offers came from internships facilitated through the school—a critical metric in banking, where the summer slot is essentially an extended audition.
High compensation continues to be part of the Stern finance story. In the most recent data available, investment-banking MBAs reported average base salaries around $171,773, with a median of $175,000. It’s a strong signal that the industry values Stern talent and that the school remains a reliable pathway into some of the highest-paying roles in the MBA universe.
What drives these outcomes isn’t just location—it’s structure. Stern’s career center has long been one of the most employer-engaged in the country, especially with New York-based firms. Banks like J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs are among the school’s most frequent recruiters. They don’t just arrive for interviews; they sit on panels, host networking events, lead case prep, and tap the extensive Stern alumni base to scout emerging talent.
The curriculum reinforces that connectivity. Stern’s emphasis on both analytical rigor and interpersonal effectiveness—captured in its well-known “IQ + EQ” ethos—aligns with what modern banks demand. As investment banks navigate everything from digital transformation to shifting regulatory landscapes, they’re looking for MBAs who can merge technical skill with client-facing leadership. Stern has built that combination deeply into its identity.
NYU Stern’s strength in banking is reinforced by the depth of its finance faculty, many of whom are closely tied to the industry. Kose John, anchors the school’s expertise with research spanning financial intermediation, corporate governance, and risk—areas central to modern banking. Edward Altman, known globally for creating the Altman Z-Score, brings unmatched insight into credit risk, restructuring, and distressed debt, disciplines that inform everything from leveraged-finance work to bank-wide risk management. And faculty leaders like Johannes Stroebel, whose work connects household finance, macroeconomic trends, and market behavior, help students understand how banking fits into the broader global financial system. This trio represents the kind of academic firepower that quietly but significantly shapes Stern’s pipeline into banking.
The ecosystem beyond the classroom is equally important. Finance-focused clubs, treks, pitch competitions, and alumni mentoring programs give students constant touchpoints with the industry. These aren’t abstract, academic exercises; they’re real-world rehearsals for the fast-paced, relationship-driven work of banking. Stern MBAs often talk about how early and often they’re exposed to bankers—sometimes before fall classes even begin.
There’s also a strong geographical logic behind Stern’s success. More than 83% of the Class of 2024 accepted jobs in the Northeast region, where nearly all major investment banks are headquartered. The school’s recruiting model leans into that density rather than spreading its efforts thin across regions, which helps sustain consistency year after year.
Even in 2024, when job markets tightened, Stern’s investment-banking outcomes stayed resilient. While some sectors—particularly tech—softened, banking remained one of the school’s sturdiest pillars. That stability reflects long-standing employer confidence. When banks face uncertain cycles, they tend to stick with schools that have historically delivered well-prepared, high-performing hires.
Stern’s alumni network further amplifies its standing. Thousands of Stern graduates sit inside major banks, not just as junior associates but as MDs, partners, and team leaders. When those alumni are asked where the next class of strong candidates will come from, they often look back to Stern. It creates a generational feedback loop that strengthens the school’s presence on Wall Street.
Importantly, Stern has never treated banking success as static. The school continually adapts its offerings—whether in fintech, sustainability, analytics, or global markets—to align with shifts in the industry. That sense of movement keeps bankers returning to campus and keeps Stern MBAs competitive in an increasingly complex financial world.
Stern’s record in finance and banking stands as one of the most consistent and compelling stories in MBA employment today. The school’s location may draw students in, but its infrastructure, recruiting relationships, curricular focus, and alumni network are what carry them through to the offer stage. For anyone mapping out the strongest banking pipelines in graduate business education, Stern remains one of the top stories of the year—yet again.
