Finance Grads Are Ditching Banking – Here’s Where They’re Going Now!

Top Finance Schools in 2025? FT Just Dropped the List—And It’s Not What You’d Expect

Wait, Wall Street Isn’t the Dream Anymore?

So the Financial Times just released their big 2025 rankings for finance schools, and honestly? The results are kinda wild. It’s not just about which Ivy League school topped the charts (though yeah, Harvard’s still up there). The real story is where finance grads are heading now—spoiler: it’s not Goldman Sachs. Fintech, climate investing, even starting their own thing? That’s where the action is. And here’s the kicker: business schools are scrambling to keep up. Carbon accounting, AI, even arts students turning into startup founders? Yeah, let’s unpack this.

The Usual Suspects—But With a Twist

Okay, the rankings. Harvard’s #1 (shocking, right?), then Wharton, LBS, INSEAD, Stanford—the usual crowd. But dig deeper, and things get interesting. These schools aren’t just teaching balance sheets anymore. Stanford’s shoving AI finance down every MBA’s throat. INSEAD? They’ve got ESG stuff in, like, every class now. It’s not just “here’s how to value a company.” It’s “here’s how to value a company while not wrecking the planet.” Big difference.

Banking’s Loss Is… Climate Tech’s Gain?

Remember when every finance grad wanted to be a Wolf of Wall Street? Yeah, those days are gone. Latest stats show only 22% of grads are chasing banking jobs—down from nearly half a decade ago. Why? Three things: 1) Nobody wants to work 100-hour weeks, 2) ethical ick factor, and 3) fintech startups are way sexier. Priya, a Wharton grad I talked to, put it best: “I’d rather help fund solar farms than play with credit default swaps.” Mic drop. Oh, and ESG funds? They’ve doubled since 2020. Not a trend—a tidal wave.

Carbon Reporting Is a Hot Mess (But Schools Are Fixing It)

Let’s be real—most corporate sustainability reports are total greenwashing. But get this: finance programs are actually tackling it head-on. LBS built AI tools to sniff out fake emissions data. Harvard’s got this “Carbon Accounting Lab” that’s like a forensic team for climate math. Professor Chen there told me, “If you can’t measure it, the market won’t believe it.” And suddenly, carbon’s not some tree-hugger thing—it’s a core finance skill. Wild, right?

Art School Kids Are Crushing It in Finance?

This one blew my mind. Rafael, a Berklee music grad, just raised $20M for his AI royalty platform. His take? “Artists get creativity. MBAs get Excel. Mash ‘em up, and magic happens.” Places like Stanford’s d.school are now basically startup matchmakers—pairing painters with finance nerds. The lesson? You don’t need a finance degree to play the money game. But you do need to speak the language.

Why Your Dad’s MBA Program Is Obsolete

Here’s the thing: companies don’t care if you can analyze a 1980s case study. They want people who can navigate AI chaos, climate regs, and—get this—actually talk to humans. MIT Sloan’s got students solving real fintech legal puzzles. Wharton sends MBAs to negotiate with tribal leaders (talk about pressure). As Dean James at Wharton said: “EQ is the new ROI.” Translation? If you can’t lead when things get messy, you’re toast.

The Bottom Line

Look, banking still pays stupid money. But the smart money’s betting elsewhere. The FT rankings prove it—finance isn’t just about money anymore. It’s about tech, impact, and connecting dots nobody else sees. Want to future-proof your career? Learn to code, understand climate math, and maybe take an improv class. Seriously.

Source: Financial Times – Work & Careers