UVA Ranks as Top Public University for High-Paying Jobs in Finance

Tom Fitch is the associate dean for career and corporate engagement for the McIntire School of Commerce. (Photo by McIntire School of Commerce)

University of Virginia graduates, according to the Burning Glass Institute, make more than $19,000 above the average salary for someone in the finance field.

Tom Fitch, the McIntire School of Commerce’s associate dean for career and corporate engagement, said Tuesday’s news speaks to the strength of UVA’s students and curriculum, “as well as McIntire’s rigorous program, its real-world applicability, dedicated faculty, and the commitment of the Commerce School’s career services team.”

“Of course,” Fitch continued, “compensation isn’t the be-all, end-all for determining a great first job in finance, but this ranking reinforces how widely valued UVA and McIntire students are for their ability to provide immediate value to their employers.”

McIntire, which offers world-class programs at the undergraduate, graduate and certificate levels, was recently ranked by the business education website Poets & Quants for Undergrads as the as the fourth-best undergraduate business program in the nation.

Those schools immediately following UVA in the Burning Glass Institute rankings are the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (No. 2), Binghamton University (No. 3), the University of California-Berkeley (No. 4) and the College of William & Mary (No. 5).

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the top school among private institutions.

The rankings were determined by the Burning Glass Institute through an analysis of expertise and pay data from Lightcast, a labor-market data firm, and Glassdoor, a company-ratings website.