Where Do McKinsey, Bain, BCG Hire The Most MBAs?

The MBB consulting firms—McKinsey, Bain, and BCG—are major recruiters of MBA grads. But which business schools do they recruit from the most?

McKinsey, Bain & Company, and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), commonly referred to as the MBB, hire hundreds of MBA graduates every year. They’re also among the best companies to work for after your MBA.

If becoming an MBB consultant is your dream career move, knowing which schools place the greatest number of students into the Big Three can be a good indicator of fit when selecting an MBA program.

Menlo Coaching, an MBA admissions consulting firm, has released a new report revealing the business schools that give MBA students the highest chance of breaking into consulting at the Big Three based on 2020 placements.

Where do the MBB hire the most MBAs?

INSEAD places the greatest number of MBA graduates into MBB consulting, according to Menlo's research.

McKinsey, Bain, or BCG snapped up a total of 265 grads from INSEAD in 2020. That’s 26.05% of the school’s student body, and 71.6% of all consulting placements from the school.

Otherwise, the US dominates the top 10 schools that place grads into MBB consulting. Harvard Business School is the number one US MBA program, placing 137 students into consulting at Bain, BCG, or McKinsey. That’s 14.7% of the total student body, and 92.6% of all consulting placements.

Harvard’s strong performance partly reflects the fact that the school admits many MBB consultants sponsored by their firms, who then re-enter their companies after graduation.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management follows Harvard in third place. 131 students from the school joined McKinsey, Bain, or BCG. Wharton follows Kellogg with 126 students, and Chicago Booth School of Business is in fifth place with 123 students.

Both Kellogg and Booth performed well, considering that their class sizes are around one-third smaller than Harvard and Wharton, according to Menlo.

There is only one UK-based school on Menlo’s list of the schools that place the most grads into MBB consulting. London Business School sits in sixth place. The school placed 89 students into the Big Three. That’s 18.7% of the student body, and 71.8% of all consulting hires.

More top business schools for MBB consulting

Several MBA programs not historically considered to be target schools for McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, have shown strong growth in placements.

NYU Stern School of Business increased its MBB consulting placements by 40% between 2018 and 2020 according to Menlo. The school placed 25 grads in 2018, 38 in 2019, and 35 in 2020.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School increased its placements by 83.33%. Six students joined MBB consulting after graduating in 2018, four students in 2019, and 11 students in 2020.

The school that saw the greatest increase was Cornell Johnson School of Management. The school boasted a 155.56% increase in MBB consulting placements between 2018 and 2020. Nine students joined the Big Three in 2018, 16 in 2019, and 23 in 2020.

Becoming an MBB consultant after your MBA means you're set to cash in on strong signing on bonuses, and the employee benefits these companies provide.

Consulting salaries at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG are also huge. Incoming MBB consultants can expect to see upwards of $150,000 per year, a salary that continues to rise with experience.

Top MBAs for MBB Consulting Jobs

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