MBA at Columbia Business School vs Stern School of Business

MBA at Columbia Business School vs MBA at Stern School of Business

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Choosing between an MBA at Columbia Business School and Stern School of Business depends on your goals. Columbia offers a strong finance and consulting focus, capitalizing on its New York City location for networking and career opportunities. Stern emphasizes experiential learning and entrepreneurship, leveraging its NYC base and offering specialized programs. Columbia provides a robust finance and consulting network, while Stern excels in innovation and hands-on experience. Your decision should align with your desired specialization, campus culture, and location. Columbia leans toward finance and consulting, while Stern focuses on experiential learning, helping you choose based on your career aspirations.

Overview Comparison
Columbia Business SchoolStern School of Business
ProgramsPG Programs -5
UG Programs -3
PG Programs -8
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees  68160
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 21816 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   54896
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  44200
[For PG Program]
CollegeDunia Reviews-7.7/10 Read 1 reviews

Top Courses Comparison

Top Courses Comparison

ranking# 9 for Business by US News 2025
# 20 for Business by QS World University 2025
# 11 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023
# 6 for Business by US News 2025
# 17 for Business by QS World University 2025
# 24 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023
application--
exam scoresGMAT - 732/800GRE - 324/340Duolingo - 135/160IELTS - 7/9TOEFL - 100/120
Admission Criteria/Better to Have


 



documents required#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose
application datesJun 17, 2025 (Final Decision Date For January 2026 Intake Round 1)
Aug 13, 2025 (Application Deadline For January 2026 Intake Round 2)
Aug 13, 2025 (Final Decision Date For January 2026 Intake Round 2)
Sep 3, 2025 (Application Deadline For August 2026 Intake Round 1)
Jan 6, 2026 (Application Deadline For August 2026 Intake Round 2)
Mar 26, 2026 (Application Deadline For August 2026 Intake Round 3)
Sep 15, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline For Fall 2026)
Oct 15, 2025 (Round 2 Application Deadline Fall 2026 Intake)
Dec 1, 2025 (Initial Notification of Round 1)
Jan 1, 2026 (Initial Notification of Round 2)
Jan 15, 2026 (Round 3 Application Deadline Fall 2026 Intake)
Apr 1, 2026 (Initial Notification of Round 3)
Apr 15, 2026 (Round 4 Application Deadline for Fall 2026 Intkae)
Comparison Notes

Two of the US’s best business schools located in New York City are Columbia Business School and NYU Stern School of Business. The Financial Times MBA rankings for 2020 revealed that Stern School of Business ranks #22 while Columbia Business School ranks #8. However, US News 2021 Best Business Schools rankings placed at #8 (Columbia Business School) and #10 (NYU Stern). 

Here are some other factors you must compare before making a choice between an MBA at Stern or Columbia Business School:

  • Salary Increase: The salary increase received by MBA graduates of NYU Stern was 97%, while MBA graduates from Columbia Business School was 86%. 
  • Employment offers received within three months for Stern Business School were 94% while Columbia Business School was 90%. 
  • The international student community made up 44% of MBA class at Columbia Business School, while at Stern only 32% students help international citizenship.
  • Women students enrolled with the current MBA class (2020-2022) with Stern were 43% while at Columbia Business School was 40%. 
  • Business and Economics were the major undergraduate subjects of students enrolling in MBA class of Columbia Business School. The MBA class of Stern had students with Business and Engineering as their UG-majors.
  • The admission Rate at Stern was 20% while at Columbia Busines School was 16%.

When choosing between these two schools, applicants must make sure that they take in all the considerations apart from the ones mentioned. The choice will ultimately lie in your hands, however, having a detailed perspective of all the aspects of the two business schools in US can help you understand which is a better fit for you.