The media is fond of writing obituaries for high finance – especially in the wake of the 2008 Crash. Don’t cash out into consulting or tech just yet. The biggest paychecks are still found in Finance, headlined by Stanford GSB’s $159,397 average base in 2018 – the highest reported to U.S. News in any concentration. However, it is the base ceilings that should still intrigue MBAs. Four schools – Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, and Columbia – reported base pay peaking at $300,000 or more. Another six schools had a graduate who made $200,000 or more starting out – and that total number expands to 24 when it comes to checks totaling $150,000 or more. That includes programs like Minnesota Carlson, Texas McCombs, and Rice Jones, which each topped out at $175,000.