Harvard Business School, ranked #4 among Global University MBA Rankings by QS (2021), is not only recognized for its rankings and reputation in the world but is also known to generate the highest graduate salaries. Where a student pursuing MBA at Harvard spends $73,440 (54.88 Lakhs INR), the average annual salary bagged by graduates within three months of graduation is around $148,750 (~1Cr).

With recruiters over 1000+ including top names like Bain & Co, Amazon, Deloitte, EY, Goldman Sachs, Google, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, Shell, and more seeking out HBS graduates, students can be assured to land lucrative jobs in the US.

Harvard University Placements: Timeline

  • Full-time job postings are made visible to second years in mid-July
  • Release of Resume databases in August.
  • Recruiting events begin in September
  • Interviews are held from September up till November.
  • Offers to graduates are made by December.

Harvard University Placements Report

Student profile at matriculation 930
International students 347 (37%)
Average post college experience 5 months
Median Base Salary 150,000 USD
Median Signing Bonus 30,000 USD
Other Guaranteed Compensation (median) 50,000 USD
Students receiving signing bonus 60%
Students receiving other compensation 11%
Placed in US 85%
Placed Internationally 15%

The Harvard University placements record mentioned above is for the MBA class of 2021.

Harvard University Placements by Industry

Graduates are offered placements in various industries after completing their MBA program. Details of MBA graduate salaries, signing bonuses and more are discussed below:

Industry Median Base Salary (USD/year) Median Signing Bonus (USD/year) Students Receiving Bonus
Consulting 165,000 30,000 95%
Consumer Products 112,000 25,000 63%
Entertainment/Media 140,000 30,000 46%
Financial Services 150,000 35,000 42%
Healthcare 130,000 25,000 64%
Manufacturing 150,000 25,000 83%
Technology 140,000 35,000 58%
Harvard University Placements by Industry

Harvard University Placements by Role

Roles acquired by Harvard graduates and the salaries offered to them are discussed below:

Role Share Median Base Salary (USD) Signing Bonus (USD)
Business Development 5% 140,000 30,000
Consulting 26% 165,000 30,000
Finance 32% 150,000 35,000
General Management 14% 132,000 25,000
Marketing 13% 140,000 35,000
Strategic Planning 7% 135,000 25,000
Other 4% 130,000 10,000

Harvard University Placements: Industry-wise Salary Statistics

The five-yearly comparison of Harvard Placements for MBA course graduates acquiring various industry roles is given below:

Role/Median Base Salary (USD) 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Business Development 140,000 135,000 130,000 130,000 130,000
Consulting 165,000 165,000 150,000 150,000 135,000
Finance 150,000 150,000 150,000 150,000 150,000
General Management 132,000 130,000 125,000 125,000 120,000
Marketing 140,000 135,000 135,000 125,000 125,000
Strategic Planning 135,000 135,000 130,000 120,000 117,500
Other 130,000 140,000 125,750 122,500 120,000

Harvard University Placements by Location

One of the perks of getting admissions with Harvard University is that you will not only be absorbed by employers from across the world. Job opportunities are not limited to the US, but the world is your playground. Around 15% of the employed graduates with Harvard University placements were offered jobs internationally and 85% were offered roles from firms within the USA.

From within the US and across the world, this is the share of cities in which students were placed:

Region Median Base Salary (USD) Signing Bonus (USD)
USA 150,000 30,000
Asia 136,000 35,000
Europe 135,000 32,000
Latin America 88,000 -
Harvard Placements by Location

Harvard University Placements: Entrepreneurship

Around 10% of Harvard graduates became a part of start-ups of 10 years or younger. The median-base salaries recorded for these students was $14,000 a year. Here are some other insights on start-up placements of Harvard graduates:

  • 96% were hired by start-ups in the USA while 4% of graduates were hired by European start-ups.
  • 22% of graduates were offered roles in general management followed by marketing function roles accounting for 20% of the graduates.
  • Technology start-ups were the highest recruiting industry with 53% share followed by healthcare industry (13%) and financial services (10%).

Harvard Internship Placements Report

Student profile at matriculation 938
International students 327 (35%)
Average post college experience 56 months
Median Base Salary 8,000 USD
Other Guaranteed Compensation (median) 4,000 USD
Students receiving other compensation 13%
Interning in US 86%
Interning Internationally 14%

Some of the insights on the internship opportunities for MBA graduates from Harvard University are:

  • Highest share was held by financial services in the industries offering internships (32%), followed by technology (18%) and consulting agencies (17%).
  • 32% of the students were offered financial roles, 18% consulting and 14% of internships were offered in business development roles.

88% of the students of MBA class 2021 were seeking internships while 12% were not seen seeking employment.

There are over 50 career-related student clubs at Harvard Business School that range from industry-focused to affinity groups, providing a great way for connecting with a targeted student group. The statistics of previous years suggest that there is a pool of placement opportunities for graduates with MBA degrees from Harvard University. Some of the top recruiters from across the world seek out the opportunity to employ these graduates in industries like technology, consultancy, finances, and more.