2025 QuantNet Rankings of Quantitative Finance, Financial Engineering Programs

[MRoss]

By @MRoss

WARNING: Anti-College Rant INCOMING... 😤 Columbia Universities Master's in Financial Engineering program ranked #6 on QuantNet's list this year. TBH, without their brand name they would be #20. I… | Mark Ross | 20 comments

WARNING: Anti-College Rant INCOMING... 😤 Columbia Universities Master's in Financial Engineering program ranked #6 on QuantNet's list this year. TBH, without their brand name they would be #20. I have coached over 10 Columbia MFE students over the past few years. They all have one singular...

www.linkedin.com

This guy knows what's up.

 

[QuantCoach]

Sorry, what?

They’re just saying it’s not 265k return for 125k investment. Its a 125k investment for a start of a career so they’re evaluating the return as pay over entire career

 

[QuantCoach]

By @MRoss

WARNING: Anti-College Rant INCOMING... 😤 Columbia Universities Master's in Financial Engineering program ranked #6 on QuantNet's list this year. TBH, without their brand name they would be #20. I… | Mark Ross | 20 comments

WARNING: Anti-College Rant INCOMING... 😤 Columbia Universities Master's in Financial Engineering program ranked #6 on QuantNet's list this year. TBH, without their brand name they would be #20. I have coached over 10 Columbia MFE students over the past few years. They all have one singular...

www.linkedin.com

I really think career service is overrated. I would pick brand name >> career service anytime. However, the truth is Columbia MFE barely has any brand name either.

 

[Tigga]

I really think career service is overrated. I would pick brand name >> career service anytime.

This may work for domestic students who have advantages in languages, visa, cultural awareness, etc. For international students, they can barely survive with a lot of help. When career services is a bare minimum, $100K for a degree is a very hard sell.

However, the truth is Columbia MFE barely has any brand name either.

Can you elaborate? I think many prospective students are banking on the Columbia MFE name to open doors for them.

 

[QuantCoach]

I mean I wouldn't want to hire anyone that can barely survive without a lot of help. I'm of the opinion that those who complain about career service are those who don't take initiative on their own. It's much easier to blame other people than yourself.

At least personally, when I interview a candidate and see their from Columbia MFE, my first reaction is "oh they couldn't get a great job out of undergrad". It doesn't have brand name because it's not difficult to get into and most of the students are not elite. The three pools of candidates I typically see are 1) HYPSM+ undergrads in a STEM degree 2) HYPSM+ PhDs in a STEM degree 3) top 10 QN MFE programs. Relative to the candidate pool, there's nothing special about the name.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Update the second post. Click on the TableView of the ranking to see the side-by-side comparison.

Post in thread '2025 QuantNet Rankings of Quantitative Finance, Financial Engineering Programs'

11/17/24

How to Decode the QuantNet Rankings for Deeper Insights

QuantNet rankings are more than just numbers—they’re a gateway to understanding program quality, career outcomes, and earning potential. Here’s how you can unlock the key insights:

1. Look Beyond the Rank: Focus on Total Score
The Total Score offers a richer perspective than the rank alone. For instance, the gap between #7 and #9 might be small, while the difference between #9 and #11 could be more significant. Use this score to make more informed comparisons.

2. Dive Into Employment Outcomes
Employment...

• Andy Nguyen

 

[Tigga]

The Quantnet ranking is dissected by Youtubers.

 

[MikeLawrence]

What other schools do you think have a better ROI? Maybe Baruch? To me it seems like only Baruch offers a better ROI.

Uchicago is pretty cheap with their good scholarships, but the range of outcomes is much wider.

 

[Tigga]

Appears to unfortunately be a fairly accurate and consistent post with nearly all information regarding the program. Truly is only hanging on by the schools reputation, it really is a shame that career services could care less whether the students are employed. I do wonder if that 100% employment after 3 months is somehow inflated, it seems suspicious.

Sorry to hear that. It appears to be a widespread concern with Columbia MFE. A quick search on LinkedIn will show many, many of the recent December 2023 graduates still without a job. Anyone is welcome to contact them and verify this.
Too bad that too many applicants just apply based on the brand name without doing any proper research. Let's this be a $100K lesson for them.

 

[tired_aspirant]

A quick look at Princeton's student directory tells that all candidates had work experience in quant domain ( either internship or full-time) Pick any resume from their resume book and you can validate this.

I am talking top firms in the likes of optiver, IMC, Goldman etc. (esp class of 2026, so its getting more competitive than ever ). What even is the purpose of a masters program if it exclusively picks students who are already excelling in the area of that program. Regardless of how good or bad you teach the outcome of that program is going to be exceptional. The candidates already had the skills to secure quant roles without that program. So this is basically get into US scheme for already exceptional students. How does one evaluate such programs then?

The Quantnet ranking is dissected by Youtubers.

 

[kombuchalover]

A quick look at Princeton's student directory tells that all candidates had work experience in quant domain ( either internship or full-time) Pick any resume from their resume book and you can validate this.

I am talking top firms in the likes of optiver, IMC, Goldman etc. (esp class of 2026, so its getting more competitive than ever ). What even is the purpose of a masters program if it exclusively picks students who are already excelling in the area of that program. Regardless of how good or bad you teach the outcome of that program is going to be exceptional. The candidates already had the skills to secure quant roles without that program. So this is basically get into US scheme for already exceptional students. How does one evaluate such programs then?

good question. total chicken and the egg situation. Is Princeton driving the salaries? Or is it that their students are top applicants regardless of their graduate school.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

The ranking table now has the base salary data. Clicking on it will show you historical data.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Now available as part of the 2025 rankings are the following reporting rates:

• Graduate Report Rate: This reflects the percentage of full-time graduates that a program can successfully identify and account for. A 100% rate means the school has accurate data on every graduate—specifying who was seeking full-time employment and who was not (e.g., pursuing a PhD or other endeavors). Ideally, this number should be as close to 100% as possible.
• Salary Report Rate: This indicates the percentage of graduates who received a job offer within three months of graduation and reported their salary information. A higher salary report rate improves the accuracy of the published average salary figures. Programs with high salary report rates often have strong career services and closely track student outcomes.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

We have sent out the survey for 2026 QuantNet ranking to MFE programs. Pending any unforeseen circumstances, we will follow the same releasing schedule as last year.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I have added snippets of the reviews on the ranking page which is the most viewed page on quant finance with 4.7M views and counting. This will give more exposure to students/alumni reviews which is a critical factor in selecting a quant program.