MBA Class of 2025: where graduates land

We followed 3,177 MBA graduates from 20 leading US programs about a year after they finished, using public professional information. Live Data Technologies compiles workforce data on 124 million professionals from public information on the open web. Co-published with MBA Pathfinders (Laura Nelson). Read Laura's version for applicants on Behind the MBA.

• About 1 in 6 graduates (17.3% of the Class of 2025) took a first job at one of the ten most common employers
• 43.1% of graduates at startups started at Manager level or above, against 30.6% at large companies
• 34% to 55% of first jobs were in finance and consulting across the seven programs charted

Do a few big employers dominate MBA hiring?

No: the ten biggest employers take about 1 in 6 first jobs. 17.3% of the Class of 2025 landed at one of the ten most common employers. Across the decade that share has run between 14.6% and 21.1%, and no single employer has taken more than about 1 in 20 of a class in any year since 2016. The Class of 2025 figure is still being recorded and may change. Returning readers: last year's article put the Class of 2024 at 13%. Every class is now recalculated on the same 20 programs, and 2024 reads 14.6%.

Share of first jobs at the ten most common employers in each graduating class, 20 US programs. Source: Live Data Technologies data.

Do startups give MBA graduates manager titles sooner?

Startup graduates start as managers more often. 30.6% of graduates at large companies (over 5,000 employees) started at Manager level or above. That rises to 39.7% at mid-market companies and 43.1% at startups (250 employees or fewer). A manager title is not the same as real early responsibility, so read this as a title pattern, not a verdict on the job.

Share of graduates whose employer size is known. Titles vary by company, so the same title can carry different scope. Source: Live Data Technologies data.

Do business schools place graduates in different industries?

No school is all one industry. Finance and consulting take between 34% (Michigan Ross) and 55% (Columbia and Wharton) of first jobs across the seven programs charted: Chicago Booth, Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern and Wharton. Schools are listed alphabetically, not ranked, and industry groups are broad, so read the bars as a rough mix.

Employers are grouped into six broad industries. Source: Live Data Technologies data.

Why do these numbers differ from your employment report?

Your employment report and this page measure different things. A report is typically self-reported by graduates who respond, often within months of graduation. This page uses public professional information about a year after graduation, and it groups employers into six broad industries. Expect totals and industry shares to differ from your report. Compare the direction and the rank order, not the exact percentages. This page does not cover salary or location.

How can a school or an applicant ask this about their own program?

Ask Live Data's chat. It works for any school, not only the 20 in this study. Try:

• Which employers hired the most MBA graduates from our program in 2025?
• Which types of job (consulting, finance, marketing and product) did our graduates move into?
• At what job level did they start?

Chat answers use current data and their own definitions, so counts will not match this page's Class of 2025 figures. For this page's definitions, or for first-job industry mix and a peer comparison, request a data cut.

Frequently asked questions

Which employers hire the most MBA graduates?

About 1 in 6 MBA graduates (17.3% of the Class of 2025) takes a first job at one of the ten most common employers. The other 5 in 6 spread across a long tail of other employers, and no single employer has taken more than about 1 in 20 of a class in any year since 2016.

Do startups give MBA graduates manager titles earlier?

On titles, yes. 43.1% of Class of 2025 graduates at startups (250 or fewer employees) started at Manager level or above, against 39.7% at mid-market companies and 30.6% at large enterprises. Titles vary by company, so the same title can carry different scope.

Which industries do MBA graduates go into?

Finance and consulting together take between 34% and 55% of first jobs across the seven programs charted (Chicago Booth, Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern and Wharton), and no program is all one industry.

Why do these figures differ from my school's employment report?

Employment reports are typically self-reported by graduates who respond to a survey. This analysis uses public professional information about a year after graduation and groups employers into six broad industries, so categories and totals will not line up one to one. Compare direction and rank order, not exact percentages.

Can I get this analysis for my own school?

Yes. You can ask Live Data's chat which employers and job types graduates of a named school moved into, or request a custom cut on the definitions used here. Chat answers use current data and their own definitions, so they will not match this page's Class of 2025 figures exactly.

About the data

Population: MBA graduates from 20 leading US programs whose degree ended in 2025 and who show a first job after graduation, 3,177 people. First job: the first role that starts after the MBA end date. Employer concentration: the share of first jobs at the ten most common employers in each graduating class. Starting level by employer size: Manager level or above against individual contributor, by employer headcount: startup (250 or fewer), mid-market (251 to 5,000), enterprise (over 5,000). Industry by school: employers grouped into six broad industries (finance and investment, consulting, technology and digital, healthcare and life sciences, consumer and retail, other). Other covers public sector, education and a long tail of smaller industries.

Graduates with no first job on record are not included. This is observational data, so no claims about cause, salary or location. Class of 2025 figures are still being recorded, so they are the minimum and may rise as information updates. Live Data Technologies compiles workforce data on 124 million professionals from public information on the open web. It covers people with a findable professional presence online, leans towards the US and office-based roles, and is not a census of all workers.

How to cite this

You can quote these figures. Credit "Source: Live Data Technologies data" and link to this page. You can republish the charts with the same credit.

The finding: About 1 in 6 MBA graduates from the Class of 2025 (17.3%) took a first job at one of the ten most common employers, according to Live Data Technologies. https://www.livedatatech.com/insights/mba-class-of-2025

Plain text: Live Data Technologies, "MBA Class of 2025: where graduates land," 27 October 2026. https://www.livedatatech.com/insights/mba-class-of-2025

Academic (APA): Hamilton, A. (2026, October 27). MBA Class of 2025: where graduates land. Live Data Technologies. https://www.livedatatech.com/insights/mba-class-of-2025