Finance and sales together account for almost a third (32%) of graduates’ first jobs. But the data also reveals distinct career profiles across schools.
“Some schools have a particularly strong footprint in finance. Others in consulting, sales, operations, marketing or data and AI,” said Benjamin Steven, co-founder of Deans Insight.
“And some of the strongest specialisations appear in places you might not expect from simply looking at the ranking.”
EDHEC Business School has the highest share of graduates entering finance and accounting, at 23.7%, while Institut Mines-Télécom Business School stands out in consulting and strategy, at 26.3%.
In data, analytics and AI, the share of graduates entering these fields varies almost eightfold between the schools with the highest and lowest proportions.
“What is really interesting is the clear divide between the top-tier and second-tier French schools,” Steven told The PIE.
“Finance is strong across the board, but consulting is much more concentrated among the Tier 1 schools. In the second tier, we see a much greater share of graduates starting their careers in sales and marketing.”
Finance is strong across the board, but consulting is much more concentrated among the Tier 1 schools. In the second tier, we see a much greater share of graduates starting their careers in sales and marketing
Benjamin Steven, Deans Insight
“Data and AI are also slowly gaining ground across schools, but here again the momentum appears stronger among Tier 1 institutions.”
“It is a fascinating illustration of how a school’s positioning translates into very different early career trajectories, and how new sectors are not emerging at the same pace everywhere,” said Steven.
