Summary:
Harvard MBAs earn a record median base salary of $184,500, with 90% receiving job offers within three months of graduation.
A record 35% of HBS graduates are skipping traditional employment, driven by a surge in entrepreneurship—17% plan to start their own business.
AI tools are lowering barriers to entrepreneurship, while corporate job cuts and desire for autonomy fuel this trend among young professionals.
For the first time in years, tech is the top hiring industry for HBS grads at 22%, surpassing consulting and private equity.
An MBA is viewed as a long-term investment, with over 40% of Fortune 1000 CEOs holding one and median lifetime earnings estimated at $8.5 million.
Economic uncertainty often drives young professionals back to school to pivot careers or gain an edge. But with AI reshaping industries, even the value of graduate degrees is being questioned. However, Harvard Business School’s latest employment data for the class of 2025 shows that for its MBAs, the degree is still paying off handsomely.
Record-High Salaries and Strong Job Placement
The median base salary for HBS 2025 graduates rose to $184,500, up from $175,000 the previous year. Among the 65% of the class seeking employment, 90% received at least one job offer within three months of graduation, and 84% accepted—both improvements from prior years. Data analyzed by Poets & Quants estimates the median lifetime income of an HBS graduate at over $8.5 million.
A Surge in Entrepreneurship
Despite these promising salaries, the class of 2025 set a record for graduates not seeking traditional employment: 35% chose to skip the postgrad job hunt, largely driven by a surge in entrepreneurship. Seventeen percent of graduates plan to start their own business—the highest share on record, up from 8% in 2021 and 13% in 2023, according to Kristen Fitzpatrick, senior managing director for career and professional development at HBS.
Why MBAs Are Turning to Entrepreneurship
This shift reflects broader trends. AI tools have lowered barriers to launching a business, streamlining tasks like market research and product testing. With many large companies shedding jobs as they adapt to AI, some graduates feel increased urgency to build something on their own. A survey from Intuit found that among young people ages 18 to 35, nearly two-thirds have started a side gig, with nearly half doing it due to a desire to be their own boss.
This break from tradition may also stem from lessons learned from the burnout of millennial middle managers, who found the corporate grind unsustainable. As Gen Z founder Steven Schwartz noted, many now prefer creating content online or finding customers digitally, seeking the most elite and enjoyable experiences.
Tech Industry Tops Hiring for MBAs
Even with the entrepreneurship jump, most MBA graduates still enter the job market. This year, tech became the top hiring industry for HBS graduates for the first time in at least five years, accounting for 22% of hires, edging out consulting (21%) and private equity (14%). Among those joining established organizations, about 17% went to a startup.
Industry Breakdown for HBS Class of 2025:
- Technology: 22%
- Consulting: 21%
- Private Equity: 14%
- Investment Management/Hedge Fund: 7%
- Health Care: 6%
- Investment Banking: 6%
- Manufacturing: 5%
- Nonprofit/Government: 4%
- Venture Capital: 4%
- Entertainment/Media: 3%
- Other Financial Services: 3%
- Services: 3%
- Consumer Products: 2%
- Retail: <1%
Long-Term Value of an MBA
A 2024 Fortune analysis found that over 40% of Fortune 1000 CEOs have an MBA, with about 6% being HBS graduates. MBA admissions consultant Scott Edinburgh advises viewing an MBA as a 20-year investment rather than a three-year one, noting that strong salary numbers only rise as careers progress.
Harvard is part of the elite “M7” business schools, which compete for top placement rates and salaries. Fortune’s recent MBA ranking named HBS No. 1, though schools like Stanford reported slightly higher salaries—$185,000 for its class of 2024. Other top schools have yet to release their 2025 outcomes.
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