### SUMMARY

 Going to school for Finance is not only a valuable choice, but generally an essential first step for pupils coveting to enter a career as an investment banking analyst, a wealth management advisor, or a corporate finance analyst. Interestingly, finance is a surprisingly popular degree choice, ranking as the 12th most popular degree. Last year, there were 45,223 finance diplomas received. In-state tuition for finance at private institutions is, on average, 3.7 times more expensive than their public equivalents.

 There are 701 universities that offer finance. 701 universities is on par with other majors offered in the United States. If you are looking to immerse yourself with other finance undergrads, consider looking at universities in Texas which have the most undergrads admitted to finance annually. Zooming out, the top region to pursue finance is in the Southeast region with [Florida International University](/colleges/florida-international-university), [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university), and [University of Georgia](/colleges/university-of-georgia) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection for the best conference to major in finance is the Big Ten Conference with [University of Iowa](/colleges/university-of-iowa), [Ohio State University-Main Campus](/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus), and [Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus](/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus) representing the conference. From our list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best college for finance is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania).

 The overall 'best' school does not have to be the 'best' school for you. There can be tons more perspectives to weigh when choosing school. Features such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food would definitely impact your feelings on which college to attend. Here at authority.org, we have weighed the pros and cons for you. If, as an example, you are intrigued by which finance college is home to the top campus, the winner is [Georgetown University](/colleges/georgetown-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which university has the finest campus, then we have an entire page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, student reviews, professor reviews, and more in order to compare every major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can find our well researched list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand, from that list, our choice for the college with the best student life for finance is [Georgetown University](/colleges/georgetown-university). Are you curious why? Continue reading to learn more about our top choices. Some of our decisions will probably surprise you.

 If price is a primary factor in your decisions, you might consider avoiding [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college). [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college)&nbspappears to be the most expensive college for finance, at least for out of state attendance. That being said, we have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that could put the price tag at [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college)&nbspinto perspective. You could also care to know that finance is the 115th most expensive degree in the US, with an average bill of $37,700. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for finance in the country is District of Columbia with tuition and fees at the main three institutions American University of $49,070, George Washington University at $54,453, and costs at Georgetown University of $54,453. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region of the country for finance is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Bentley University](/colleges/bentley-university) with a cost of $50,060, [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with a cost of $56,780, and [Providence College](/colleges/providence-college) with a cost of $51,490.

 Our cheapest region for finance is the Southeast region which is represented by [Southern University and A & M College](/colleges/southern-university-and-a-m-college) with a cost of $4,972, [Western Carolina University](/colleges/western-carolina-university) with a cost of $5,000, and [College of Charleston](/colleges/college-of-charleston) with a cost of $70. On the bright side, the most affordable university for finance is [CUNY Bernard M Baruch College](/colleges/cuny-bernard-m-baruch-college). Our entire list of the most affordable schools can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can anticipate paying about $9,800 for a degree in finance. That cost increases by a lot to an average of $21,600 for an out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our pick for the school constituting the best value for finance: [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). On this page you can see our comprehensive list about the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. Bear in mind, this list is predicated on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know in which states any one student has residency.

 Earnings for finance students can vary, but within two-years of finishing the degree graduates will typically earn in the neighborhood of $63,800. While there can be much variation in earnings potential; top earners can rake in up to $134,200. Right out of school, the minimum earning jobs within the finance field earn $30,000, which is an alright wage. The highest earning grads for finance graduated from [Bentley University](/colleges/bentley-university)&nbspand if you are looking for schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The overall diversity of finance is on the higher end, coming in the 54th percentile of majors nationally. The school with the highest composite diversity for finance is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspand here you can find our general list of the schools which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Finance major is only within the 12th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, ranking in the 51st percentile. White collegians compose the largest share, 61%, of those studying finance. Additionally, 71% of undergraduates seeking a finance major are men.

 The median score for finance professors is 4 stars, a ranking which is exactly the median score for every major; which is a fine. If you are looking for the most popular finance professor in the nation, consider looking up Steven Hirohama from [Cerritos College](/colleges/cerritos-college). This might come as a surprise, but the top rated instructors of finance according to students are found at [Chapman University](/colleges/chapman-university). If we consider data other than just rankings it becomes clear that the school with the overall best instructors for finance is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). One will find an explanation of our ever evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the best professors in the country.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for finance is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a general list of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we do hope you believe that looking at university from examples only derived from superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental issues. We at Authority hope you look at some of our other pages on individual colleges and explore a couple of our helpful background articles on important things to look for as your university search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 Finance is the 12th most popular degree in America, with 45,223 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #13 [Marketing](/rankings/best-colleges-for-marketing), and narrowly lost to #11 [Teacher Education and Professional Development](/rankings/best-colleges-for-teacher-education-and-professional-development).

 The degree is offered at a total of 701 colleges across the nation, and is the 27th most widely offered degree. Given that finance is offered at 21% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that 46% of colleges offering finance are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The southeast produces the most finance graduates, largely led by [Florida International University](/colleges/florida-international-university), while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, Texas ranks highest, with particular help from [University of Houston](/colleges/university-of-houston) and [Southern Methodist University](/colleges/southern-methodist-university).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more finance graduates than [Alaska Pacific University](/colleges/alaska-pacific-university), which graduated 937 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study finance). More students studied finance as a percentage of total students at [CUNY Bernard M Baruch College](/colleges/cuny-bernard-m-baruch-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Finance is the 115th most expensive major in America, with a median cost of $37,699 among the top 50 programs (just ahead of #116, [Illustration](rankings/best-colleges-for-illustration), with a median cost of $37,533).

 New England has the most expensive colleges with high quality finance programs led by [Bentley University](/colleges/bentley-university) with an annual cost of $50,060. The most expensive state for finance is District of Columbia led by [American University](/colleges/american-university) and [George Washington University](/colleges/george-washington-university).

 Public schools with good programs by and large charge 72.65% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 39.98% less than your average private school. So, if you're hoping to attend a state school, make sure you qualify for in-state tuition ASAP.

 The most expensive top 25 college for finance is [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college), which is the 20th most expensive college in the United States. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Walsh College](/colleges/walsh-college). It costs just $



### SALARY

 Paying for college is a major investment for most. It is critical to make sure you get a nice return on your investment. We wish for the following earnings and career statistics to assist you in making a well informed decision when choosing your focus.

 Fresh out of college, Finance students make $54,870 per annum on average (top 16%). With experience in their professions, they by and large earn anywhere between $29,951 and $134,185, but average approximately $63,840. To put it in context, that's 65% over the American average.

 The most common job for a Finance graduate is Analyst, which predominantly make about $54,000; next are Account Executive and Consultant, which generally earn about $36,000 and $56,000 respectively.

 New England has the highest earning Finance graduates. IN has the best paid Finance graduates of any state. The highest grossing conference for Finance graduates is Ivy League.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Finance: Median Professor Rating: 4 / 5, which is average.

 Professors oftentimes play a heavy role in shaping your college experience, regardless of your primary focus. A thoughtful teacher could help a student find their passion and even make a difficult subject seem easy. On the other hand, an ineffective professor can interrupt your education or even worse... flunk you!

 Finance professors have a median student rating of 4 out of 5, putting these professors in the top 51st percentile in the United States based on student approval. Suprisingly, this major is exactly the median for professor rating, which, in our opinion, is remarkably average! Finance professors slightly edged-out those from ["Journalism"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-journalism), whereas ["Graphic Design"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-graphic-design)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Finance.

 Now for some statistics about Finance professors. Colleges located in fringe towns tend to have the best Finance professors. The Peach Belt Conference has the highest rated Finance professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Finance professors. Public schools tend to have higher rated Finance professors than private institutions. Finally, Idaho has the highest rated Finance professors in the US.

 Steven Hirohama, instructor at [Cerritos College](/colleges/cerritos-college)&nbspin Norwalk, CA is the most popular Finance professor in America. Mark Carranceja, instructor at [Orange County Community College](/colleges/orange-county-community-college)&nbspin Middletown, NY is the highest rated Finance professor in America, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Want to know which schools have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College often can be one of the more momentous periods in one's life; it is an occasion for individual growth and maturation. Students continue to find out their values and build the underlying skills to be a flourishing member of society. But learning is more than what one learns in the classroom - the interactions which one has with her schoolmates, the funny story learned from an old instructor, the exposure to a different vantage point. As such, a diverse campus vastly enhances what you gain from your time at university.

 Finance is a slightly more racially diverse focus than average\*. 61% of the nation's Finance majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(17%), asian students (10%), and latino students (9%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Rutgers University-Newark](/colleges/rutgers-university-newark)&nbspin Newark, NJ.

 Second, Finance significatly skews male, with 71% of students majoring in Finance identifying as men. [University of San Francisco](/colleges/university-of-san-francisco) in San Francisco, CA has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another significant type of diversity is financial diversity. Sadly, Finance ranks in the bottom 13% of subjects wealth diversity. 35% of its majors come from households earning more than $110,000 a year, 15% are from households with $48,000 to $75,000 annual incomes, and 21% grew up in families with a sub $30,000 annual income. [University of North Carolina at Charlotte](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte) has the most economically diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall CA is the most diverse state for Finance. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the West Coast Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 10%
* Black: 3%
* Latino: 9%
* White: 61%
* Other: 17%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 71%
* Female: 29%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 21%
* 30k - 48k: 14%
* 48k - 75k: 15%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 35%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 64%
* Out of State: 31%
* International: 5%


2023 Finance Salary

There are about 114,078 students enrolled in Finance in the USA.

SALARY