• VIEW THE 2026 US QUANTNET RANKINGS

2026 QuantNet Rankings of Best Quant Programs in the US

2026.webp

2026 QuantNet ranking.webp

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In the 2026 ranking, we introduced several updates to our methodology to more accurately reflect the strengths of each program:
  • Increased emphasis on placement success:
    The weight for this category has been raised from 55% to 60%, with the 3-month placement rate now weighted at 20% (up from 15%).
  • Adjusted weight of student selectivity:
    The student selectivity category has been reduced from 25% to 20%. Within this category, the new weight distribution is:
    • Undergraduate GPA: 5% (down from 17.5%)
    • Acceptance rate: 10% (up from 7.5%)
    • Yield rate: 5%
 
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We recommend reviewing all the data in the comparison table to fully grasp the insights and make an informed choice about which program(s) are right for you.
  1. Yield rate: yield rate is the percentage of admitted students who actually choose to enroll.
    Why it matters​
    • A higher yield rate means the program is more desirable or competitive—more admitted students choose it over alternatives.
    • A lower yield rate may signal that admitted students often pick other schools instead.
  2. Employment Rate 3 Months after Graduation (US only)
    Why it matters​
    • Two programs might each report an 80% placement rate three months after graduation, but their results can differ dramatically. The U.S.-only placement rate shows which program places more graduates into jobs in the U.S.
  3. Graduate Reporting Rate: Percentage of graduates whose post-graduation status (seeking FT employment or not seeking, e.g., PhD) is known. 100% = no unknown cases.
  4. Salary Report Rate: Percentage of graduates employed in the US who reported salary information.
 
2026 QuantNet ranking drop is what we're all waiting for, perfectly timed for Round 2 and 3. But i was just thinking, brand names still rule. If a big-name school say, fell some spots, we'd probably still choose it over non brand name program, i know i will.

Also, is there a way to differentiate between placement in true front office quant roles and middle or back office quant roles like credit risk - i mean 100% placement but where and a way to rate program curriculum closer to front office roles?
Many universities i think count 'credit risk' roles as a quant win. I've sat through so many placement sessions organised by universities just to hear my own job description repackaged as a success story for front office quants.
I'm already in credit risk, at the very companies you're bragging about! If I wanted to stay, I'd just ask for an internal transfer and save a fortune.
Maybe I just need to log off these weekly university webinars... this might be my sign
 
rajivp said:
2026 QuantNet ranking drop is what we're all waiting for, perfectly timed for Round 2 and 3. But i was just thinking, brand names still rule. If a big-name school say, fell some spots, we'd probably still choose it over non brand name program, i know i will.
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You can do that. Many people will always pick a brandname over others. This is the same thing in consumer products too. You pay a premium in the total cost.
But you should investigate why there is a drop, if it's temporary or a worrying trend, etc. At the end of the day, these degrees are very expensive and you don't want to be a bag holder with nothing but with a piece of paper carrying that fancy name.
rajivp said:
Also, is there a way to differentiate between placement in true front office quant roles and middle or back office quant roles like credit risk - i mean 100% placement but where and a way to rate program curriculum closer to front office roles?
Many universities i think count 'credit risk' roles as a quant win. I've sat through so many placement sessions organised by universities just to hear my own job description repackaged as a success story for front office quants.
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This is a good point. Many applicants can't distinguish between job title, function so everything sounds like a quant job to them which is good enough.
As far as getting more granular information from programs on the breakdown of placement, there is more work to be done.
Some programs did a great job of knowing exactly where each of their graduates end up (Baruch, CMU and few others). A lot of other programs don't have full picture on this. Programs have different level of resources on career services or run differently.
This just means there is opportunity for QuantNet to provide more insights and helpful information on this aspect.
rajivp said:
I'm already in credit risk, at the very companies you're bragging about! If I wanted to stay, I'd just ask for an internal transfer and save a fortune.
Maybe I just need to log off these weekly university webinars... this might be my sign
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Then you will be able to look at the placement listing of many programs and tell whether a program places most of their graduates in front office, buy-side, sell-side. This will inform you decision much better than most applicants.
 
Is there a rough timeline of when we should expect the results?
 
been reading through some posts and noticed that several people accepted into graduate programs at Caltech's Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (covering ACM, CDS, CMS, and CS) were also targeting quant roles. curious if Caltech considered a target school for quantitative research or trading positions?
 
Hi @Andy Nguyen do you think it would be possible to add the typical cohort size a range since I presume it is cumbersome to get the exact sizes of the cohorts ? So that we can all mentally calculate how many students are usually applying. I think that would add more colour to this. Let me know your thoughts on it.
 
lv_sreenivaas said:
Hi @Andy Nguyen do you think it would be possible to add the typical cohort size a range since I presume it is cumbersome to get the exact sizes of the cohorts ? So that we can all mentally calculate how many students are usually applying. I think that would add more colour to this. Let me know your thoughts on it.
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The data for class size, application numbers, admits, enrolls are already there on each program's link. It's on the Admissions tab
quantnet.com

Baruch College - Master in Financial Engineering - Extra info

quantnet.com quantnet.com
 
rajivp said:
been reading through some posts and noticed that several people accepted into graduate programs at Caltech's Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (covering ACM, CDS, CMS, and CS) were also targeting quant roles. curious if Caltech considered a target school for quantitative research or trading positions?
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Virtu Financial takes a bunch of their people from CalTech.
 
The 2026 ranking is approaching. If you are on LinkedIn, please take this poll.
www.linkedin.com

With the QUANTNET 2026 rankings on the horizon, we want to learn from you—applicants, current students, and recent alumni of quant finance programs—about the biggest factors that influenced where you… | Andy Nguyen

With the QUANTNET 2026 rankings on the horizon, we want to learn from you—applicants, current students, and recent alumni of quant finance programs—about the biggest factors that influenced where you chose to study.
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com
 
My totally unscientific, proprietary, anecdotal, vibe-based model (with a p-value of 'trust-me-bro') speculates that

#1 Princeton
#2 Baruch
#3 CMU

The top three largely stay the same with some interchanging (Princeton benefits purely based on its very global brand name in a recessionary climate, flight-to-safety)

After top 3 I expect to see some chaos. Berkeley might stay put (too big to fail). Chicago and Georgia Tech (sleeper hits) improve too. Columbia's both programs could suffer. MIT might drop a place too (pricey). NYU Courant probably returns to top 10 again.

#4 UC Berkeley
#5 U Chicago
#6 MIT
#7 Georgia Tech

Disclaimer: This model has not been backtested, is prone to extreme overfitting due to my personal biases, and has an R^2 value of roughly zero. Please invest in your tuition at your own risk.
 
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