Austin, US · 21 months · class of 235
Texas McCombs MBA: cost, salary and payback
The lowest living budget of any two-year American program on this site, and a consulting median of $190,000 for the largest group of the class.
Paid back after graduation in
4.8 years
Total cost $307,731 · 10-year NPV $139,884
| Tuition and fees, whole program | $123,928 |
| Living budget | $49,350 |
| Salary given up, 21 months | $157,500 |
| Summer internship earned | −$23,048 |
| Total cost | $307,731 |
| Salary after: median base salary | $150,000 |
| 10-year net present value | $139,884 |
| Return on the cost (present values) | 46% |
US dollars at the ECB rate of the last update. Raises of 5% a year with the MBA and 3% without, discounted at 5%, before tax. How this is calculated.
Fees and budget read on October 13, 2026 · employment: Class of 2025 (Winter 2024 and Spring 2025 graduates) (school standard) · Built by Radif Partners · Method
- Tuition and fees
- $123,928
- Total cost, salary given up included
- $307,731
- median base salary
- $150,000
- Payback, reference person
- 4.8 years
The full-time MBA at the McCombs School of Business in Austin costs $122,428 in tuition at the non-resident rate, $1,500 of fees and $49,350 of living costs on the school's budget, $173,278 in all before any salary is counted. For a person earning $90,000 today, the 21 months away add $157,500, the summer internship gives back about $23,048, and the total comes to $307,731. The class of 2025 reported a median base salary of $150,000, with a median signing bonus of $30,000, which repays that total 4.8 years after graduation and leaves a ten-year net present value of $139,884. What sets McCombs apart is a low bill for a two-year American program: only 3 of the 32 on this site charge less in tuition and fees, and none publishes a lower living budget.
The lowest living budget of the two-year American programs
Austin is the reason the bill stays down. The school's budget for a single student, $49,350 over two years, is the lowest of the 29 two-year American programs on this site that publish one. It is built from the first-year budget counted twice, because the second-year figure is not out yet. Tuition of $122,428 is the rate for students from outside Texas; Texas residents pay less, and international students pay further fees that the school does not quantify on the page we read, so a candidate on a student visa should expect a slightly higher bill than the one shown.
Even here the salary you stop earning is the largest line. At $90,000 it reaches $157,500, more than the tuition, and a candidate earning more today sees the payback lengthen, since the median after the MBA stays the same.
Texas McCombs: when the MBA pays back, for your salary
Payback after graduation
4.8 years
| Total cost with the salary given up | $307,731 |
| Salary after (median base salary) | $150,000 |
| 10-year NPV | $139,884 |
Same assumptions as the main calculator; US dollars.
Consulting is the largest group and the best paid
28% of the class of 2025 went into consulting at a median of $190,000, the highest of any industry in the report. On that salary the payback for the reference person falls to 3.0 years, and McCombs places number 8 of 38 in our consulting ranking. Technology is second at 22%, but its median of $140,000 sits below the school-wide figure, so the payback on a technology career stretches to 5.5 years. Finance takes 19% at $171,000.
Two smaller groups carry the Texas economy into the report. Consumer goods and retail took 11%, enough to rank McCombs number 2 of 21 for consumer careers, and energy 6% at $135,000, number 3 of 8 in our energy ranking.
Texas McCombs: where the class went
Share of the class
28%
| Salary reported | $190,000 |
| Graduates, about | 66 |
| Payback with that salary | 3.0 years |
Reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA.
A home-state job market, and a slower first three months
100% of graduates who took a job stayed in the United States, which puts McCombs first of 39 in our ranking for working in the United States. The pace of hiring is the weaker figure: 72.1% of job seekers had accepted an offer within three months, and only 4 schools on this site report a lower rate. The school traced 97.6% of the class, so the rate is not a gap in the survey; more graduates were still deciding at three months than at most programs here. Our whole-class ranking uses that rate as the share of the class placed, which is why McCombs sits number 29 of 40 there despite the low bill.
Where Texas McCombs stands in our rankings
- #29 of 40 · Any industry (whole class)
- #8 of 38 · Consulting
- #19 of 39 · Finance, all segments
- #12 of 40 · Technology
- #1 of 39 · Working in the United States
Our fit score, reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA (method). Third-party rankings play no part in it. For reference, Texas McCombs was ranked 41 in the FT Global MBA 2026.
What the Texas McCombs MBA costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, whole program | $122,428 |
| Mandatory fees | $1,500 |
| Living budget, whole program | $49,350 |
| Salary given up: $90,000 a year for 21 months | $157,500 |
| Summer internship earned | −$23,048 |
| Total cost, reference person | $307,731 |
Texas McCombs employment report: Class of 2025 (Winter 2024 and Spring 2025 graduates)
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median base salary | $150,000 |
| Signing bonus (median) | $30,000 |
| Summer internship, per month (median) | $9,219 |
| Graduates who accepted an offer within three months | 72.1% |
| Response rate to the survey | 97.6% |
Texas McCombs graduates by industry
| Industry, as the school names it | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 28% | $190,000 |
| Technology | 22% | $140,000 |
| Financial Services | 19% | $171,000 |
| Consumer Packaged Goods + Retail | 11% | not published |
| Other (government, manufacturing, transportation/logistics) + Real Estate | 8% | not published |
| Energy | 6% | $135,000 |
| Healthcare | 6% | $140,000 |
Where Texas McCombs graduates went to work
| Region | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| US (US Mid-Atlantic + US Midwest + US Northeast + US South + US Southwest + US West) | 100% | not published |
Texas McCombs graduates by job function
| Function | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 30% | $189,000 |
| Investment Banking | 10% | $175,000 |
| Other Finance | 6% | $130,000 |
| Corporate Finance | 5% | $130,000 |
| Asset Management | 5% | $150,000 |
| Corporate Development | 3% | $126,250 |
| Operations & Logistics | 9% | $140,000 |
| Other Management | 3% | $130,000 |
| General Management | 3% | $110,000 |
| Other Marketing | 9% | $140,000 |
| Product Management | 5% | $178,500 |
| Product Marketing | 4% | $145,950 |
| Brand Management | 3% | $128,000 |
| Marketing - Merchandising | 2% | $130,000 |
| All Others | 3% | $144,975 |
Employers named by Texas McCombs
Alvarez & Marsal · Amazon · Bain & Company · Boston Consulting Group · Dell Technologies · Deloitte · EY-Parthenon · J.P. Morgan · McKinsey & Company · PepsiCo · Strategy& · Walmart
Names only: the school gives no hire counts.
The Texas McCombs class
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| International students | 31% |
| Average age | 29 |
| Average years of work experience | 6 |
| Class size | 235 |