Ohio State vs. Rutgers for finance careers: which has better recruiting and alumni network?

The biggest practical tradeoff is breadth versus location: Ohio State gives you a very large, active alumni base and broad national employer reach, while Rutgers benefits from being much closer to New York City, where a huge share of finance internships and entry-level roles are concentrated. For finance, that geographic advantage matters a lot because semester-time networking, coffee chats, and in-person internships are simply easier from Rutgers. Ohio State, though, tends to have a more traditional big-campus pipeline feel, with heavy employer presence, strong school spirit, and an alumni network that is especially useful across the Midwest and in large corporate finance settings.

If your goal is high-finance recruiting, especially New York-facing roles in investment banking, asset management, or markets, Rutgers has a real edge on proximity alone. Being in New Jersey makes it easier to attend events, interview in the city, and build relationships with alumni working in Manhattan without needing flights or major travel planning. That does not guarantee better outcomes by itself, but for finance recruiting, access often turns into opportunity.

Ohio State is very strong for scale. The Fisher College of Business is well known, employers recruit there in volume, and the Buckeye alumni network is one of the most visible and responsive large-public-school networks in the country. That can be especially valuable for corporate finance, commercial banking, consulting-adjacent finance roles, and national companies that hire across many offices.

Rutgers is the sharper choice if you are specifically trying to maximize access to New York finance recruiting. Ohio State is the safer pick if you want a bigger all-around alumni machine and wider geographic flexibility, especially beyond the Northeast. For a student focused narrowly on finance career access, I would lean Rutgers, but the margin gets smaller if you see yourself more in corporate finance than in NYC-centered high finance.