What Stanford MBAs Make In Their First Year Out Of School

Total average--not median-compensation for Stanford MBA graduates hit a record $216,111 this year, highest for any full-time MBA program in the world. The sum includes base salary, sign-on-bonus and expected performance bonus. Both signing bonus and performance bonuses were adjusted in the total comp number to account for the percentage of graduates receiving those elements of pay.

Stanford switched to reporting what it calls "expected performance bonus" in 2017 from a category of compensation called "other guaranteed compensation." Expected performance bonus includes guaranteed as well as non-guaranteed cash compensation based on performance. Of the Class of 2019, nearly three out of every four job seekers expected to receive a cash performance bonus. These graduates expected an average bonus of $66,311, a $1,782 increase over last year; with a $33,000 median.