Emolument's UK and North American University League Tables


We have analysed data for universities in UK & Ireland and North America to find the best paying university for finance careers and the university with the smallest gender pay gap in finance. 


Best Universities for Careers in Finance

We compared the salaries of graduates going into finance for analysts and associates from different universities. The average salary for these titles across all universities is £62,000 for the UK & Ireland and $130,000 for the US. Below is a list of the academic institutions whose students have the best chances of landing jobs with the most prestigious (and highest-paying) finance firms.

UK & Ireland Universities:

Best Universities for Banking Careers (Salaries for Analysts & Associates)Salary + Bonus
Cambridge University£91,000
Oxford University£85,000
Edinburgh University£84,000
Imperial College London£80,000
London School of Economics£79,000
Bristol University£74,000
Warwick University£73,000
Bath University£72,000
University College London£72,000
Trinity College£70,000

US & Canada Universities:

Best Universities for Banking Careers (Salaries for Analysts & Associates)Salary + Bonus
Yale University$194,000
Harvard University$190,000
University of Pennsylvania$187,000
Stanford University$185,000
University of Chicago$182,000
Boston College$176,000
Northeastern University$176,000
MIT$166,000
New York University$162,000
Georgetown University$161,000


Best Universities for Finance Gender Pay Gap

The average pay gap for finance professionals with less than five years' experience is 27% in the UK and 21% in the US. We have compiled a list of the universities whose female graduates are most likely to buck the trend.

UK & Ireland Universities

University% Pay Gap
Kingston University3%
Manchester University5%
Liverpool University6%
Newcastle University9%
Kent University11%
Brunel University12%
King's College London13%
Oxford University14%
Royal Holloway14%
Birmingham University15%

US & Canada Universities

University% Pay Gap
Columbia University0%
Johns Hopkins University0%
Miami University0%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill0%
Georgetown University4%
Harvard University8%
University of Virginia11%
Princeton University12%
Carnegie Mellon University12%
McGill University13%

Globetrotting Graduates

Some universities are particularly apt at leading to international careers, as can be seen in Emolument's UK & Ireland Globetrotter table, which features institutions whose graduates are most likely to work abroad. This includes foreign students returning to their home country, which means this table reflects the international diversity at the universities, as well as the wanderlust of their home-grown graduates.


Non-English universities (more specifically those based in Scotland and Ireland) score particularly well in this table, standing out as international hubs. Universities such as UC Dublin or Edinburgh have fostered their image on the international stage for years, perhaps more aggressively so than the more traditional, academic outperformers. LSE has been known as a cultural melting pot for generations, supporting its efforts with the attraction of a central London location.

UK & Ireland Universities

University% Abroad
University College Dublin32%
York University30%
Glasgow University19%
Trinity College18%
Edinburgh University17%
London School of Economics17%
Aberdeen University17%
Oxford Brookes University16%
SOAS16%
Brunel University13%

Do you want to find out more about your own alma mater? Click here to view individual reports on any university in our database!


Data for this study is based on 2,700 graduates from universities in US & Canada as well as 11,000 graduates from UK & Ireland. This data focusses on undergraduate degrees, ignoring MBAs and other post-graduate degrees.

 

Emolument provides bonus and salary statistics based on data submitted directly by professionals like you. It is free, anonymous, and already a trusted tool for thousands of professionals worldwide. Are you paid enough? Click here to find out now.


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