Top Private Equity School Ranking

UPENN/Wharton ranks #2
prepared by Private Equity Database

Top Private Equity Schools
List of Top 25 Schools for Private Equity

A common question for students hoping to enter the private equity industry is what is the best private equity school? While many students enter private equity through various business schools, and attending a top-tier business school can dramatically help one's chances of working in private equity, there are some schools that offer a specific focus on private equity. For example, Dartmouth's Tuck Business School introduces business students to private equity through their Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital.

While attending a recognized business school is helpful for a career in private equity, it is not required and many professionals working in the private equity industry have taken unique paths to private equity that may or may not include earning an MBA or studying finance even. Some general partners at private equity firms or hedge funds have different backgrounds than what is stereotypical for the industries, for example the successful hedge fund manager, David E. Shaw has an advanced degree in computer sciences.

For those hoping to enter private equity, some schools increase your chances by reputation, others by directly preparing students for buyout modeling and fund operations. Private equity is a challenging environment and an educational background is valuable to entering the industry but it is open to anyone who has the desire to learn the skills necessary to succeed, a passion for working in the private equity industry and a strong work ethic.

Top Private Equity School List
With that said, the list of private equity schools was prepared by Private Equity Database, which compiled the highest number of placements in the private equity industry by school. The list of the top 25 private equity schools includes both graduate business schools and undergraduate schools that have proven most successful at private equity placement of its students.  Permanent Link: Top Private Equity Schools

List of the Top 25 Private Equity Schools 

1    Harvard University       
2    University of Pennsylvania       
3    Stanford University       
4    University of Chicago       
5    Northwestern University       
6    New York University       
7    University of Virginia       
8    Dartmouth College       
9    Columbia University       
10  Yale University       
11  Duke University       
12  University of Michigan 
13  Cornell University       
14  Georgetown University       
15  University of California, Los Angeles       
16  University of California, Berkeley       
17  Massachusetts Institute of Technology       
18  University of Texas, Austin       
19  University of Southern California       
20  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill       
21  Indiana University       
22  Emory University       
23  University of Rochester       
24  Carnegie Mellon University       
25  Arizona State University