Wall Street Journal Ranks UVA Among Top Universities for Finance, Consulting, and Tech Jobs

The Wall Street Journal found the University of Virginia is exceptional when it comes to positioning undergraduates for high-paying jobs in finance, consulting and technology.

In its springtime ranking, the business publication ranked UVA No. 3 for finance, No. 5 for consulting and No. 13 in technology, when compared to other public schools.

“The rankings – which include the top 20 public and private universities for launching graduates into high-earning jobs – aim to answer: If the chosen career and the number of years in the field are the same, what effect does the undergraduate school somebody went to have on their salary?” the paper wrote. “The effect can be huge.”

Of the top public schools for finance, UVA ranked just after the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley. The ranking estimates UVA graduates in the finance industry have an average annual salary of $136,816, which is $34,985 more than the median industry salary. That $34,985 extra is what the Wall Street Journal called the “salary premium,” or extra earnings based on having a UVA degree. The premium for Michigan graduates is $38,191 and $35,643 for Berkeley alumni.

In the category of consulting, UVA’s No. 5 spot follows schools including the U.S. Military Academy and the Georgia Institute of Technology. For UVA alumni, the salary premium was estimated at $14,274, bringing the average UVA consulting salary to $112,770.

For UVA technology graduates, the Wall Street Journal estimated they earn an average annual salary of $136,557, which includes a salary premium $14,465. That pay bump means UVA is ranked No. 13 among public schools for technology salaries.