Huge Gap on Stern vs Columbia MBA Graduate Salaries

Would imagine the data differs so much since CBS sends a small (yet not insignificant) amount of its class to PE, VC, and HF positions. These handful of high outliers may skew the numbers of what you posted.

I'd also be very wary of this type of data. It is self-reported, like the career reports schools send out. However, most top 20 schools have about 90% of their graduating class respond to the questionnaire, so it is quite representative of the class. The data from payscale.com or other methods doesn't have as sound methodology as the reports published by the schools. I think it's more effective to find what industry you are interested in (IBD, consulting, etc) and look at career ladders of some of the most prevalent companies hiring at target school(s) of choice. From there, see what those positions pay. That seems like a much more relevant measure of evaluating schools rather than a general "10 years post graduation" salary figure.