Michigan or Northwestern for finance careers?

For finance careers, Michigan is usually the stronger choice overall, especially if you are admitted to Ross. Northwestern is also very strong, particularly for Chicago recruiting, but Michigan tends to have broader volume and visibility in undergraduate finance recruiting.

If the comparison is Ross versus Northwestern, Ross often gets the edge for pure finance recruiting because employers know exactly what they are getting from the BBA program, and there is a large on-campus ecosystem built around finance clubs, treks, and recruiting prep.

If the comparison is non-Ross Michigan versus Northwestern, then it gets closer, and I would probably lean Northwestern. Northwestern does not have an undergraduate business school, but economics, MMSS, industrial engineering, and related majors still place well into finance, especially with strong internships and networking. Its quarter system and location near Chicago can also help with academic flexibility and access.

For investment banking specifically, both schools are respected, but Ross is more of a direct target or near-target with consistent structured recruiting. Northwestern is definitely well regarded, just a bit less centralized for finance preparation. For broader finance paths like asset management, private equity later on, corporate finance, or fintech, both can work very well.

So the short version is: Ross is the strongest option for finance out of the choices you mentioned, while Northwestern is still excellent and may be preferable if you want a more traditional private-school experience or are not guaranteed Ross access.