The top investment banking schools will be ones that send a significant number of students to top investment banks. They should also have a high percentage of students being accepted into their programs and provide student groups or programs designed to help you get ready for a career in finance. Cornell, MIT, and Columbia all meet this requirement. They also have notable alumni working in the industry and other extracurricular programs such as Stern’s Finance Society and Booth’s famous Finance Program that offer exposure to real-world challenges in investment banking.
They also tend to have a high alumni network within the field which is useful for networking. They are typically located near the financial hub of regional or smaller investment banks. They also have top-ranked accounting and finance programs.
Other important aspects to consider when choosing a school are your own interests and the kind of career you’d like to pursue, along with the kinds of jobs you’re interested working within an investment bank. Investment banking hiring is strongly influenced by the institution’s reputation and the number of top performing students that the school produces each year.
Take a look at universities such as NYU or UMich for students in the undergrad level. They have a strong reputation in the business world and are known for their high placement rates and alumni networks. In Europe take a look at HEC Paris and Oxford Said Business School. In Asia you can look at HKUST, CUHK and Chinese universities like Peking University, Tsinghua, and Fudan.