The top investment banking schools are those that consistently put many students into top investment banks, boast impressive student-to-bank ratios, and provide special student groups or programs to assist you in preparing for finance careers. Cornell, MIT and Columbia all meet this standard, as well as having prominent alumni from the industry and extracurricular activities like Booth’s finance society as well as Stern’s famous finance program, which offer opportunities to gain exposure to the real-world problems of investment banking.
These schools are also close to a financial center, which is where smaller or regional investment banking is located. This makes them a perfect location to network. They also have top-rated accounting and finance programs.
Other important aspects to consider when choosing the right school is your own interests and the kind of career you’d like to pursue, along with the types of jobs you’re interested in in at an investment bank. As opposed to other industries which hire is more meritocratic through technical interviews, recruitment for investment banking is heavily dependent on school reputation and the amount of top performers that the university produces every year.
Take a look at universities such as NYU or UMich for students in the undergrad level. They have a good reputation in the business world and are renowned for their impressive graduation rates and alumni networks. In Europe you should look into HEC Paris and Oxford’s Said Business School. In Asia think about HKUST and CUHK as well as Chinese universities like Peking University, Tsinghua and Fudan.