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The Best Universities for Finance in the USA (2023)

Written by Vincent Hedman

Why Study Finance in the USA

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Finance at a university in the USA. Here are just a few:

  • The USA offers some of the best postgraduate programs worldwide, with universities like Harvard University, Stanford University, and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which are renowned for their excellent pedagogy methods and faculty expertise particularly in finance.
  • Studying a Masters degree in Finance offers an advanced understanding of the key concepts in financial management, global finance, investment analysis, and various other critical areas. These skills are highly desirable to employers across multiple sectors
  • With its multicultural environment and international student population converging on campus – studying a Masters in Finance in America provides exposure not just academically but culturally as well.
  • Many institutions offer students unique networking opportunities with industry experts through workshops, internships or professional events – interactions that could potentially open doors to future career prospects including job placements.

The Best Universities for Finance in the USA

The following tables gives the 10 top universities in the USA for Finance, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which American universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

If you're wondering how these rankings affect your decision, our guide has more information on how to use international rankings as a postgraduate.


Top 10 Universities in the USA for Finance (Times Higher Education)
University USA Rank Global Rank
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1 1
Stanford University 2 2
Harvard University 3 4
University of Chicago 4 5
Yale University 5 9
Columbia University 6 =11
University of Pennsylvania 7 13
Northwestern University 8 14
Duke University 9 17
New York University 10 18
This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the Times Higher Education rankings?

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.


Top 10 Universities in the USA for Finance (QS)
University USA Rank Global Rank
Harvard University 1 1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology =2 =2
Stanford University =2 =2
University of Chicago 4 5
University of Pennsylvania 5 8
University of California, Berkeley 6 9
New York University 7 10
Columbia University 8 11
Yale University 9 13
University of California, Los Angeles 10 16
This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by QS World University Rankings. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the QS rankings?

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.


Top 10 Universities in the USA for Finance (ARWU)
University USA Rank Global Rank
University of Pennsylvania 1 1
University of Chicago 2 2
New York University 3 3
Columbia University 4 4
Harvard University 5 5
Stanford University 6 6
Boston College 7 7
University of Southern California 8 8
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9 9
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 10 11
This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Academic Ranking of World Universities. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the ARWU rankings?

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.


Last updated: 24 July 2023