The Cornell SC Johnson Graduate School of Management has released the MBA Class of 2024 employment data. This year, 261 out of the 291 graduates of the two-year program were seeking employment. Within three months of graduation, 81 percent had received job offers and 79 percent had accepted offers.
The median base salary is unchanged from 2023 at $175,000. The average base salary was reported at $161,967 and average signing bonus landed at $38,438. The top employers for the Class of 2024 were global giants such as Amazon, McKinsey & Company, Citi, RBC Capital Markets, and Nomura/Greentech.
Top Industries
Financial services moved to the top of industry destinations for Cornell MBAs, hiring 42 percent of the class versus last year’s 35 percent. Consulting placement landed at 31 percent this year, compared to 42 percent for the Class of 2023. Tech industry hires and consumer packaged goods remained unchanged at 11 percent and 4 percent compared to last year, respectively. Energy and utilities, healthcare goods, services, and pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing all tied at three percent of recruits.
| Financial Services | 42% | $165,829 |
| Consulting | 31% | $178,046 |
| Technology & Telecommunications | 11% | $134,453 |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | 4% | $126,429 |
| Energy/Utilities | 3% | $129,763 |
| Healthcare/Medical Services/Pharmaceuticals | 3% | $143,750 |
| Manufacturing | 3% | $131,750 |
Regional Placement
Ninety-seven percent of the Cornell MBA Class of 2024 remained in the U.S. for work, with 65 percent staying in the Northeast region. Fourteen percent moved to the West while the Midwest became home for nine percent of the recent graduates. Another five percent headed to the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The Southwest and South took in four and three percent, respectively.
| Northeast | 65% | $165,857 |
| West | 14% | $153,891 |
| Midwest | 9% | $153,647 |
| Mid-Atlantic | 5% | $168,400 |
| Southwest | 4% | $176,750 |
| South | 3% | $134,810 |
