EXCLUSIVE RANKINGS OF THE TOP 93 PROGRAMS Updated Profiles Of The Top 93 Programs Employment rates, total costs and acceptance rates Full methodology and data explained
THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE
Volume 04 Issue 01 March 2021
C-Change Media, Inc. C-Change Media, Inc. Petaluma, CA 94952 E-mail: heather@poetsandquants.com © 2021 C-Change Media, Inc. All rankings, ratings, and listings are intellectual property of C-Change Media, Inc. No rankings, ratings, listings, or other proprietary information in this book may be repurposed, abridged, excerpted, combined with other data, or altered for reproduction in any way without express permission of C-Change Media, Inc.
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Editorial John A. Byrne, Editor-In-Chief Nathan Allen, Rankings Editor Marc Ethier, Managing Editor Greg Yang, Contributing Writer
Operations Team Tori Leonhardt, Visual Designer Heather Soderquist, Chief Operating Officer Sat Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer Jason DePoy, Vice President of Sales Georgina Hannah, Ad Operations Manager Dia Gutierrez, Ad Operations Associate Hannah Hermansen, Client Success Coordinator
Letter From The Editor Greetings, Welcome to the print guide for our fifth annual Best Undergraduate Business School rankings of 2021. In this guide, you’ll find our full rankings, individual profiles for the 93 ranked schools, and the full methodology, which explains how we gathered the data used to create the ranking. No ranking of universities or business schools is perfect. Be very skeptical of any ranking that claims it is. So while we don’t pretend to have the perfect methodology for measuring the undergraduate business school experience, we do create and gather this ranking with the sole purpose to produce a thoughtful, meaningful evaluation of the top business schools in the country in a way that makes sense for our reader. Now, perhaps more than ever, an informed decision is crucial when picking a college. Student loan debt has been an issue for years. And now, future college students and their families are dealing with a global pandemic that has moved many campuses to online only and has disrupted a previously stable job market. That’s why we strongly recommend going beyond the actual ranking and digging into the school profiles and data. Use this guide as a starting point. Read our main rankings article at the beginning to learn how these rankings were created and what to pay specific attention to. Then check out the profiles to learn what makes each school different. And then go to our website — www. poetsandquantsforundergrads.com — for more in-depth features and data-focused articles about these programs. Rankings should be a brief intro to the college search. Once you’ve picked a group of schools, do your homework. Reach out to professors, current students, and recently alumni. Learn what makes each school unique and what its strengths and weaknesses are and consider fit with your personality and what you want to do early in your life and career. This is an exciting time to study business. Technology, big data, and pressing issues like climate change, pandemics, and social and racials injustices and inequalities are all a part of business. Increasingly, business does not exist in a silo. Corporations have a role and impact to play. And future leaders are being trained to consider those issues while successfully contributing to businesses. You’ve made a smart decision by picking up this guide. Good luck to you as you embark on this exciting chapter in your life. If I can ever be of assistance or answer any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Nathan Allen Poets&Quants Rankings Editor Poets&Quants
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Contents UP FRONT Wharton Tops Poets&Quants’ Best Undergraduate Business School Rankings For the fourth straight year, Wharton finishes atop our data-focused ranking........................................9 2021 P&Q Rankings: How We Crunched The Numbers A complete look at our methodology................................................................................................................................17
THE TOP UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS #1 University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School..........................................................................................19 #2 University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce................................................................................... 21 #3 New York University Stern School of Business.............................................................................................. 23 #4 University of Michigan Ross School of Business.........................................................................................25 #5 Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.........................................................................27 #6 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School..............................29 #7 University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business..........................................................................31 #8 Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business...........................................................................33 #9 Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management.................... 35 #10 Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business..........................................................37 #11 University of Texas At Austin McCombs School of Business................................................................ 39 #12 Washington University at St. Louis Olin Business School...................................................................41 #13 Villanova University School of Business.......................................................................................................... 43 #13 Wake Forest University School of Business..................................................................................................45 #14 University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.......................................................................47 #15 The College of William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business..........................................49 #16 Emory University Goizueta Business School..................................................................................................51 #17 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business.........................................53 #18 Northeastern University D’Amore-McKim School of Business.............................................................55 #19 Indiana University Kelley School of Business...............................................................................................57 #20 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Foisie Business School....................................................................59 #21 University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Business.....................................................................61 #22 University of Washington Foster School of Business............................................................................63 #23 University of Richmond Robins School of Business................................................................................65
contents #24 Lehigh University College of Business and Economics...........................................................................67 #25 Fordham University Gabelli School of Business.........................................................................................69 #26 Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.....................................................................71 #27 Boston University Questrom School of Business.......................................................................................73 #28 Binghamton University School of Management........................................................................................ 75 #29 University of Georgia Terry College of Business.......................................................................................77 #30 University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration............................................................ 79 #31 Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business........................................................................81 #32 Hult International Business School..................................................................................................................83 #33 University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business............................................................................85 #34 University of Massachusetts at Amherst Isenberg School of Management...........................87 #35 Bucknell University Freeman College of Management...........................................................................89 #36 University of Miami School of Business Administration........................................................................ 91 #38 Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business.........................................................................93 #39 Miami University Richard T. Farmer School of Business........................................................................ 95 #40 Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business....................................................................97 #41 Rutgers Business School at New Brunswick.......................................................................................... 99 #42 Purdue University Krannert School of Management................................................................................101 #43 University of San Diego School of Business................................................................................................103 #44 Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business................................................................................ 105 #45 Elon University Love School of Business....................................................................................................... 107 #46 Marian University Byrum School of Business..............................................................................................109 #47 Providence College School of Business........................................................................................................... 111 #48 Syracuse University Martin J. Whitman School of Management........................................................113 #49 University of Arizona Eller College of Management................................................................................. 115 #50 University of Denver Daniels College of Business....................................................................................117 #51 Drexel University LeBow College of Business...............................................................................................119 #52 Florida Southern College School of Business............................................................................................. 121 #53 University of Delaware Lerner College of Business & Economics................................................... 123 #54 St. John’s University Peter J. Tobin College of Business........................................................................125 #55 University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics.......................127 #56 Lipscomb University College of Business.....................................................................................................129 #57 University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business..........................................................131 #58 Rochester Institute of Technology Saunders College of Business...............................................133 #59 American University Kogod School of Business.........................................................................................135 #60 University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price College of Business............................................................137 #61 The College of New Jersey School of Business...........................................................................................139 #62 Seattle University Albers School of Business & Economics.................................................................141 #63 Christopher Newport University Luter School of Business...............................................................143 #64 University of Tennessee at Knoxville Haslam College of Business..............................................145 #65 University of Evansville Schroeder School of Business....................................................................... 147 THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS
POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM
#66 University of Utah David Eccles School of Business...........................................................................149 #67 University of Michigan at Dearborn School of Business................................................................151 #68 Bowling Green State University College of Business.......................................................................153 #69 Duquesne University Palumbo Donahue School of Business.........................................................155 #70 University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business...................................................................157 #71 The University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management................................159 #72 St. Louis University Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business............................................................161 #73 Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business................................................................................163 #74 Ohio University College of Business..............................................................................................................165 #75 Rutgers Business School at Newark........................................................................................................ 167 #76 University of Akron College of Business Administration................................................................... 169 #77 Northern Illinois University College of Business................................................................................. 171 #78 Sacred Heart University Jack Welch College of Business................................................................ 173 #79 Hofstra University Zarb School of Business............................................................................................ 175 #80 Ohio State University Fisher College of Business................................................................................177 #81 University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business & Economics...............................................179 #82 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Cameron School of Business.........................181 #83 Oregon State University College of Business.........................................................................................183 #84 North Carolina State University Poole College of Management..................................................185 #85 George Washington University School of Business..........................................................................187 #86 Florida International University College of Business......................................................................189 #87 Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business..............................................................................191 #88 University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business...........................................................................193 #89 Iowa State University Ivy College of Business...................................................................................... 195 #90 Auburn University Harbert College of Business.................................................................................... 197 #91 University of Texas at Arlington College of Business....................................................................... 199 #92 University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management........................................................ 201 #93 Ithaca College School of Business.................................................................................................................203
THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS
National University #88 among the nation’s most prestigious comprehensive universities #1
Elon University is the only university recognized for excellence in all eight high-impact learning experiences:
Study Abroad #1 Learning Communities #2 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching #2 First Year Experiences #2 Senior Capstone #2 Service Learning #7 Internships #10 Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
98%
of 2019 Elon business grads seeking a job were employed within nine months of graduation.
To learn more, visit
Academic programs included: Accounting, Business, Finance, Financial Management, Management and Marketing
ONE COLLEGE HALL, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 251-898-7608
University Of Pennsylvania
F $318,540 In-State Total Cost
Freshman
Year When Students Declare Their Majors
7.6%
Acceptance Rate
1504
Average SAT
N/A
International Students
N/A
Underrepresented Minorities
97.9%
Class of 2020 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation
POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM
or four straight years, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has topped our ranking of Best Undergraduate Business Schools. The reason? Wharton has tough admissions standards, enrolling top students, gives them a top-notch undergraduate business education, and places them into coveted jobs. This year, Wharton led in our admissions standards and employment outcomes category and placed seventh in the alumni experience category. At 7.62%, Wharton’s acceptance rate was the toughest of all schools for students entering during the fall of 2020. Students entering this past fall (2020) averaged an SAT score of 1504 and 90% finished in the top-10% of their graduating high school classes. In terms of outcomes, 98% of the graduating Class of 2020 had at least one business-focused internship before graduation. Despite the Coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy, Wharton placed its 2020 graduates in full-time positions at a clip of 97.01% — more than all but four other schools participating in this year’s ranking. Wharton graduates reported the highest average salaries in their jobs immediately after graduating, earning a whopping $86,217. SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT MOST POPULAR ‘SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE’ AMONG RECENT GRADS Among the respondents to our survey of the Class of 2018 Wharton graduates, two-thirds (66.67%) reported having at least one “signature experience.” Alumni mentioned launching startups and working on research projects as some of those signature experiences. But the most popular experience mentioned was the senior capstone. “I also participated in Wharton’s Senior Capstone, which took place over three days,” one 2018 alum told us in the alumni survey. “There were about 80 students participating, divided into eight teams, each representing a company. In addition to negotiating and forming alliances with other companies, the simulation included interaction with simulated governments, as well environmental impacts. We also had alumni present who constituted the board of directors for each company, and served as advisors after a presentation made to them, as well as a leadership facilitator who sat in all the team discussions and helped us reflect on the experience and our communication and teamwork skills at the end of the program. It was quite superbly executed.” As part of the survey, we ask alumni to rate various experiences of their program on a one-to-10 scale. Of the 16 scaled questions we asked, Wharton graduates gave their overall experience an average score of 9.28, which was higher than all other schools besides the Universitiy of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business. Wharton graduates rated their school higher than alumni from all
university of Pennsylvania other ranked schools when asked if they thought their degree was worth its cost in time and resources. It also earned the highest score when asked how much the alumni network could help alumni throughout their careers and if the business school experience was “life-changing.” While the alumni network earned high ratings, the school’s career advising department earned the lowest rating among all 16 scaled questions. It’s an ironic result considering Wharton won the employment outcomes category and had some of the best employment results. On the other hand, while more than 93% of 2018 alumni said their first jobs after graduation were in their desired industry, just over 63% said it was at a desired company, which was low compared to other schools. It should be noted, however, that was based on 2020 employment data and it was 2018 graduates that completed the alumni survey. NEARLY TWO-DOZEN CONCENTRATIONS AND 50 STUDENT-RUN ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS Wharton boasts a flexible curriculum. Business students are required to complete 22 business courses, 10 electives based in liberal arts and sciences, and five more unrestricted electives anywhere in the Penn community. Wharton offers nearly two dozen concentrations for students looking to specialize. Those concentrations include traditional business fundamentals like accounting, finance, and marketing as well as relatively new areas like social impact and responsibility, managing electronic commerce, and business analytics. For out of the classroom experience, Wharton also has nearly 50 student-run organizations and clubs including the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association, Social Impact Consulting, and Wharton Women. Wharton made a statement earlier this year, becoming the first top-ranked business school to appoint a Black woman as dean when it announced the hiring of Erika James. A former dean of Emory’s Goizueta Business School, James boosted faculty diversity while increasing programs and fundraising during her time at Emory. She has already made national headlines for the potential she has to put diversity and inclusion at the forefront of the Wharton experience. CONTINUING DOMINANCE IN THE RANKINGS Wharton continues to dominate in our annual rankings, thanks to its stringent admissions standards and impressive employment outcomes. This year, Wharton didn’t have the alumni scores to top the category. Students looking for similar top-ranked schools that scored better in the academic experience category should look at the University of Virginia, Indiana University, Georgia Tech, and New York University, all of which finished ahead of Wharton in the alumni survey portion of the rankings. Still, according to our rankings, Wharton continues to be the creme of the business school crop for undergraduate business education.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I had a unique privilege to be in the first class of Penn-Wharton Public Policy Research Scholars for which I completed a policy capstone my senior year. This was a certificate program allowing accepted students from the four different undergraduate schools at UPenn to delve into public policy and research during our sophomore through senior years through lectures, skill training, travel opportunities, and special industry guests. Finally, although not directly connected to Wharton, I had the opportunity to work at Perry World House as a Student Fellow ultimately due to the generosity of Wharton and other UPenn alumni.” “I got to learn Data Science + Statistics at an MBA level, and completed a project as a Volunteer Data Scientist Consultant with Planned Parenthood. I now do a lot of work with data + tech, so having the experience of working with a real client to solve a real data challenge for them gave me a lot more to talk about in interviews, and enabled me to share real world examples of how I could contribute to the organization I was applying to.” “I participated in a Global Modular Course that had both MBAs and undergrads - it was a Tech and Entrepreneurship program in Bangalore, India, and it was hosted in the campus of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), which is the second most prestigious business school in India. We had exposure to several different Indian startups and VCs, as well as the opportunity to work on a project for them. It was also really cool to interact with some IIM-B MBA students who were part of the course as well - it helped build connections in different countries and helped me understand the Indian startup ecosystem better.”
THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS
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POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM
Campus Notes
Boundless Business Opportunities! •
Academic programs focused on students’ success
•
Innovative faculty
•
Active executive mentors
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Internships, student clubs and applied learning experiences
•
International education options
•
Exciting coastal location in historic city
Competitive Graduates:
94% placement rate
uncw.edu/csb
An EEO/AA institution.
The Kelley Effect
As lived by Martin Aguinis, BS’17 Head of Global Marketing, Flutter, Google
1 SUCCESS STORY growing with every moment
4 GLOBAL EXPERIENCES in Australia, Greece, India, and Spain
DOZENS of public speaking engagements
2 APPS developed as an undergrad
1 INTERNSHIP at Google’s YouTube
NUMEROUS professors providing mentorship
The pivotal moments in Martin’s life mean a lot more than most. Before leading marketing efforts at Google, Martin launched two apps as an undergraduate student at Kelley. He gained international business experience, honed his presentation skills, and found lifelong mentors in his entrepreneurship professors. Moments like these start a chain reaction of new paths, connections, and opportunities. For Martin, that includes his selection for the Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Product Marketing Alliance’s Rising Star award. Start building your momentum at gokelley.iu.edu/kelleyugrad
GO FROM MOMENT TO MOMENTUM
RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL Top 15 Best Return on Investment in the U.S. Poets and Quants, 2020
PERSONAL TOUCH
DIVERSITY EXCELLENCE
Rutgers Business School’s TeamUp mentoring program provides one-on-one coaching with a business professional on how to grow and prosper in your career.
Rutgers ranked “Top 10 business school with most firstgeneration students” in the U.S. (Poets & Quants, 2019).
HIGH RETURN ON INVESTMENT
CORPORATE CONNECTIONS
Highlighted as one of the best return on investments for a business degree (Poets & Quants, 2018, 2019, 2020).
Close proximity to New York and New Jersey’s top global companies bring internship & job opportunities. Our Road to Success programs provide a direct path to future careers. • Road to Wall Street • Road to CPA • Road to Silicon V/Alley • Road to Consulting
BUSINESS.RUTGERS.EDU Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey – Founded 1766.