MBA in New York: Columbia vs Cornell vs Stern vs Simon
New York is among the best places to pursue an MBA due to the many famous programs that it hosts. In downtown New York City there are the prestigious universities Columbia and NYU, which both have world renowned business schools. Earning an MBA in a city as vibrant as New York City comes with endless opportunities. Outside of the city, there are also two business schools that are highly ranked. Cornell University and the University of Rochester are both a few hours from downtown New York City but it is still very accessible by car. All of these business schools should be considered by international students who are looking to pursue an MBA.
| Columbia Business School | Cornell University – Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management | NYU Stern School of Business | University of Rochester – Simon Graduate School of Business Administration | |
| Program Duration | 2 years or 16 months (J-term) | 1 or 2 years. | 2 years. | 2 years. |
| Tuition (2020) | US$77,376 (first year) | US$71,940 | US$76,780 | US$ 48,000/year |
| Locations | Centered in New York City, currently home to over 9,000 startups and 100 incubators, with investors plunking down US $13 B in 2018 to fund promising ventures. The tech sector alone accounts for over 333,000 jobs. | Johnson is housed entirely in Sage Hall, a 19th-century High Victorian Gothic building located near the center of Cornell’s main campus in Ithaca, NY. It is about 4 hours from NYC by car but there is also an NYC campus. | The NYU Stern campus is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, adjacent to Washington Square Park. | Simon is located on the University’s River Campus in Rochester, New York. A little over 6 hours from NYC by car. |
| Class Size | J-term: 211 August entry: 571 |
2 years: 292 students 1 year: 55 students |
317 | 126 students enrolled |
| Gmat average | 726 | 700 | 723 | 676 |
| Average age | 28 years old. | 28 years old (2 years), 30 years old (1 year MBA). | 28 years old. | 28 years old. |
| Average work experience | 5 years. | 5 years. | 5.2 years of experience. | 4.9 years. |
| Academic Information | Students complete their core curriculum during the first 2 semesters. CBS offers exemption exams that allow students who pass to trade their core courses for electives. All students are given 3 slots for full-term electives beginning in their second semester. The second year of the MBA consists entirely of electives. For J-term, classes begin in January and end in May of the following year, continuing throughout the summer (read: no full-time internship). |
2 Year MBA Program:
1 Year MBA Program:
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The first year of Stern’s MBA program is devoted mainly to completing core requirements. The second year consists of electives, except for the required Professional Responsibility course. Students have a huge variety of electives to choose from, as the school offers more than 200 over a 2-year period. | 20 classes (9 core required courses and 11 electives) and an additional course on Business Communication and Career Success. Full-time students complete the MBA course requirements in 6 academic quarters of varying lengths with an internship in the summer between the first and second years of study. |
| Average Post-MBA Salary | Median base salary according to 2020 employment report: US$150,000 | US$ 138,767 according to the 2020 employment report. | Average base salary: US$ 143,858 according to the 2020 employment report. | US$ 143K avg. base salary |
| Employment Rate | 90% received an offer 3 months after graduation. | 93% received an offer within 3 months of graduation. | 91.9% received offers by 3 Months Post-Graduation |
91% accepted employment 3 months post graduation |
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- Merchant GMAT Hall of Fame – a gallery of some of our clients over the last eight years.
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