Top-15 MBA avg salary $208K
The average starting salary among graduates of the top 15 MBA programs is $208,000, including bonus and equity.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Is an MBA Still Worth It? and the Future of Legacy Media
Explore episode
Jul 15, 2026
Where this was said
Q1: Is an MBA From Kellogg Still Worth the Debt?
At 4:57 · chapter starts 1:19
The episode's first substantive question comes from a 28-year-old preparing to start a full-time MBA at Kellogg, funded partly by loans. He wants to know how to extract maximum value from the degree in the current climate. Galloway opens with a barrage of data: roughly 250,000 students are enrolled in MBA programs globally, the average graduate carries $75,000 in debt, and the median starting salary in 2025 was $125,000 [1] — Scott Galloway "250K MBA students globally: About a quarter of a million students are currently enrolled in MBA programs globally, making the MBA the most …" 03:29 . But the real punchline is the caste system — top-15 program graduates average $208,000 in total compensation, more than three times what bottom-ranked school graduates earn [2] — Scott Galloway "Top-15 MBA programs produce graduates earning an average of $208,000 — more than three times what graduates of the lowest-ranked business s…" 04:43 . His tactical advice is direct: use the first-year summer internship as a pure brand-building exercise, targeting the most prestigious firm you can land regardless of long-term fit. Network relentlessly — grades barely matter. Find something you could be genuinely great at, not just passionate about, and use the MBA as a springboard into that field. He also shares that business school is fundamentally for what he calls 'the elite and the aimless' — people who are high-calibre but haven't yet found their direction. His verdict for this listener is unequivocal: Kellogg is a no-brainer. A tier-two program is not.
MBA Strategy at Kellogg: Network Hard, Chase the Best Brand Internship
The summer internship between year one and year two is your only chance to put a Google or JPMorgan on your résumé for just ten weeks — without it looking like a redo. Network obsessively, grades barely matter, and find something you can be great at rather than something you're passionate about.
MBA ROI: Is the Debt Worth It?
Average MBA debt is $75,000. Graduates earn $50,000 more per year than bachelor's-only peers. Over a lifetime, that gap compounds to roughly $4 million. The math works — but only if you get into the right school.
250K MBA students globally
About a quarter of a million students are currently enrolled in MBA programs globally, making the MBA the most popular graduate degree in the US.
MBA grads earn $4M more lifetime
MBA graduates earn approximately $4 million more over their lifetime compared to those with only a bachelor's degree.
The MBA Caste System: Top Schools vs. Tier Two
Top-15 MBA programs produce graduates earning an average of $208,000 — more than three times what graduates of the lowest-ranked business schools make. The credential alone is not the point; the brand halo of the institution is.
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