Business & Finance
Financial Analyst
Financial analysts study data, markets, and company performance to recommend decisions and investments. A numbers-heavy role and a common path into finance.
Median salary (BLS)
$99,000
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$65k – $165k
Job outlook
+8% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Financial Analyst
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateCost to qualify
$40,500–$153,000
Time to qualify
4.5 yr
Renewal
—
- 1
Bachelor's degree
DegreeFour years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.
$40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source
- 2
Industry certification (optional for many roles)
CertificationRole-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.
$500–$3,000 · 6 months source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "Financial Analyst" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
Financial Analyst Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Financial Analyst
Entry / Junior
$65,000
~2 yrs to advance
Financial Analyst
Established
$99,000
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Financial Analyst
Senior
$132,000
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Build financial models
- •Analyze performance
- •Write recommendations
Fields of study
Finance · Economics · Accounting
Top colleges for Business & Finance
Explore all- University of Pennsylvania6% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.