Class of 2024 Full-Time Job Offers and Acceptance

When you earn a hotel administration degree from the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, you’ve got bright career prospects. Your bachelor’s degree plus the Cornell prestige make you a premium candidate for some of the most exciting and successful organizations in the world.

Each year, we survey our newest graduates and report on their career outcomes. Of the 268 Cornell Nolan School undergraduate class of 2024, 210 were seeking full-time employment. Ninety percent received full-time employment offers and 89 percent accepted offers within four months of graduation.

210

GRADUATES

were seeking full-time employment

90%

RECEIVED OFFERS

within four months of graduation

89%

ACCEPTED OFFERS

within four months of graduation


Our Hotel Administration Graduates’ Salary Numbers

The Nolan School class of 2024 graduates received an average base salary of $81,609. US work authorized graduates earned slightly more than the average at $82,134 while non-US work authorized graduates earned less than the average at $74,545.

$81,609

AVERAGE BASE SALARY

Class of 2024

$82,134

AVERAGE BASE SALARY

US Work Authorized

$74,545

AVERAGE BASE SALARY

Non-US Work Authorized


$8,136

AVERAGE COMBINED BONUS

Average Bonus

Many graduates receive different bonuses when accepting a job offer. We have combined signing and relocation bonuses into a combined bonus for data reporting purposes. The average combined bonus for 2024 graduates was $8,136. Non-US work authorized graduates earned slightly more than the average at $9,000 while US work authorized graduates earned slightly less at $8,067.


 "Attending SHA expanded my purview, jump-started my career, and established my skill sets of communication, problem-solving, and people management that I’ve used throughout life since." - Christina Heggie ’10, Global Partnerships Lead, Travel, Google

What Is a Typical Hotel Administration Graduate Salary?

The average base salary changes depending on the industry chosen, the job function assigned, and where the job is located. We break out all the data for the class of 2024 below.

70%

use hospitality in their role

Hospitality in Your Role

Hospitality is represented across a variety of industries from real estate to finance to consulting. The Nolan School prepares undergraduates for leadership roles that require the application of business principles in a hospitality context, allowing our graduates to enter into a variety of industries with hospitality connections.


Average Base Salary and Distribution by Industry

Over half of the class of 2024 was split between the top two industries of real estate and financial services. Of the two, financial services paid the highest average base salary at $94,548. Real estate was the second highest paid industry at $89,157.

IndustryAverage
Base Salary
Median
Base Salary
Percent
Employed
Real Estate$89,157$86,00030%
Financial Services$94,548$100,00026%
Hospitality$62,197$63,00013%
Food and Beverage$67,463$65,00010%
Consulting$82,250$88,5007%
Technology$67,200$70,0005%
Media/Entertainment$50,758$44,5773%
Consumer Packaged Goods$80,467$75,0002%
Other*N/AN/A4%

*Other includes: Advertising/public relations, government, and healthcare/pharma

N/A: less than 3 data points available (necessary to maintain student anonymity)


Strong Salaries in Many Job Functions

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration degree prepares you to excel in a wide variety of job functions, which is why you’ll find our graduates working in every organizational department. With strong classroom and practical training in all business disciplines, from finance, management, and accounting to sales and marketing, operations, and entrepreneurship, the Nolan School experience is the perfect launchpad for success on day one of your first job.

Average Base Salary by Job Function

The class of 2024 graduates are employed in a variety of positions, with half the class accepting jobs in finance. General management positions made up the second-highest percentage of graduates at 17 percent, while the third-highest job function was consulting. To see the multiple finance job functions, we break out the job function in the second table below.

FunctionAverage
Base Salary
Median
Base Salary
Percent
Employed
Finance$92,191$97,50050%
General Management$65,808$69,00017%
Consulting$81,000$86,00011%
Marketing/Sales$66,000$66,0009%
Data/Analytics$77,600$72,5003%
Human Resources$68,400$70,0003%
Other*$67,818$65,0009%

*Other includes: Education and information technology

Detailed Finance Job Functions

Finance FunctionAverage
Base Salary
Median
Base Salary
Percent
Employed*
Investment Banking$109,141$110,00055%
Financial Analysis$83,850$82,50012%
Asset Management$102,692$100,00011%
Corporate/Managerial Finance$83,571$80,0005%
Private Equity$99,000$100,0005%
Private Wealth Management$100,750$105,0005%
Finance - Accounting/Auditing$85,250$81,5004%
Venture CapitalN/AN/A2%
OtherN/AN/A2%

*Does not total to 100% due to rounding


97%

graduates who remain in the US after graduation

Average Base Salary by US Region

For our graduates, the Nolan School of Hotel Administration name on your bachelor’s degree open doors to rewarding careers across the US and beyond. The table below details the average base salary by US region.

RegionAverage
Base Salary
Medium
Base Salary
Percent
Employed*
Northeast$89,893$90,00057%
Mid-Atlantic$73,515$70,75010%
Midwest$77,000$75,00010%
South$69,808$70,00010%
West$74,508$78,0009%
Southwest$82,691$75,0005%

*Does not total 100 due to rounding


Top Employers

The prestigious organizations that hire our graduates are those shaping the industry and its future. Representing financial services and investment, real estate, hospitality and travel, consumer retail, technology, consulting, and many other sectors, these employers are among the most innovative and influential. The logos listed below represent the top companies that employed our most recent Nolan School graduates.

  • BRE Hotels and Resorts
  • EY-Parthenon
  • Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
  • hotelAVE
  • JLL
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • Marriott International, Inc.
  • Marriott International, Inc.
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Restaurant Brands International
  • Rialto Capital
  • Santander Bank
  • Wells Fargo & Company

See Where Cornell’s Hotel Administration Program Can Take You

Ready to learn more about what the Nolan School’s hotel administration degree can do for your career? Learn more about our program, see more employment data, and get started on your application now.