The financial industry often recognizes the top graduate business schools in the country—but rarely discusses undergraduate programs.
The best undergraduate programs bridge public and private universities, are geographically diverse—and perhaps most surprisingly, only include a pair of the vaunted Ivy League institutions, according to College Choice, a consumer information website dedicated to higher education.
For its 2016 undergraduate business school rankings, College Choice used data from a nationwide survey of college freshman published by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, which rated schools based on reputation, financial aid, cost and graduate success rates in the post-college job market, along side ratings and other data from sources like U.S. News & World Report, the National Center for Education Statistics and PayScale.com. College Choice lists the in-state tuition of universities as part of its analysis.
No. 10 – The University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, located in South Bend, Ind., houses the Mendoza College of Business, which offers undergraduate degrees in seven different majors. The school emphasizes a holistic approach to education, pushing students to engage in community service and experiential learning opportunities.
Students can major or concentrate in options that include management and organization, marketing, accountancy, management, and information technology, analytics and operations. Tuition at Notre Dame is pricy—undergraduate students will pay nearly $50,000 a year.
No. 9 – Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis houses its business programs at the Olin Business School. Olin allows students to achieve a bachelor of science in business administration through eight different majors.
Olin’s concentrations and majors include operations and supply chain management, entrepreneurship, finance and economics and strategy. Those options come at a price—Olin’s annual tuition costs nearly $50,000.
No. 8 – The University of California at San Diego
San Diego’s Rady School of Management is more known for its graduate programs and does not offer a bachelor’s degree—but the school offers undergraduate students several business management courses.
Rady also offers undergraduates three minors: accounting, business and entrepreneurship and innovation. Annual tuition comes to $14,700.
No. 7 – Cornell University
Cornell University houses three different schools under the umbrella of “Cornell Business.” The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management offers a bachelor of science in applied economics, Cornell’s most popular undergraduate business degree.
The Dyson School allows students to customize their degree in a broad spectrum of concentrations, including environmental, energy and resource economics, international trade and development, business analytics and agribusiness management. Cornell’s quality isn’t cheap. Annual tuition comes in at nearly $51,000.
No. 6 – The University of North Carolina
The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers students a flexible, customizable degree at a strong value. Undergraduate students majoring in business can choose up to two areas of emphasis from a list of 10 options and add on a minor if desired.
Kenan-Flagler has a reputation for offering international business programs and multiple study abroad opportunities through partnerships with 18 universities around the world. Annual tuition at UNC comes in at just over $8,800.
No. 5 – The University of Pennsylvania
The vaunted Wharton School of Business is known for having one of the most selective MBA programs in the country. Penn’s undergraduate business program is no less competitive. Students in the program receive a bachelor of science in economics rather than a business administration degree.
Wharton, the first collegiate business school in the U.S., allows undergraduates to specialize in one of more than 20 concentrations, including multinational management, legal studies and business ethics, and global analysis. Penn’s Ivy League education comes at a steep price—annual tuition comes in at more than $51,000.
No. 4 – The Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business offers six majors within its undergraduate business administration program and seven different certificates for undergraduate students completing their studies.
Schelller offers students the ability to attend business-specific study abroad programs and access to opportunities within Atlanta’s industrial hub, where Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta Airlines and Newell-Rubbermaid make their homes. Annual tuition at Georgia Tech costs a little more than $12,200.
No. 3 – The University of Michigan
Michigan’s Ross School of Business offers undergraduate students a unique three-year curriculum that allows them to study other disciplines of their choice that could tie into their business administration work.
Almost all of the students in Ross’s undergraduate program, 96 percent, report being employed within three months of graduation. Annual tuition at the school costs a little under $13,900.
No. 2 – The University of California at Berkeley
Cal-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business often makes top 10 lists of the best graduate business programs in the country, but the school also offers a strong undergraduate business curriculum.
Haas undergraduate students can choose between six concentrations to specialize their bachelor’s degree, including organizational behavior, business communication, marketing, accounting and finance. Annual tuition comes to a little more than $13,500 for undergraduates.
No. 1 – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The best business school, according to College Choice, wasn’t an Ivy League institution or a West Coast powerhouse, but MIT, home to the Sloan School of Management.
Sloan offers programs in business analytics, finance, management and management science. The school boasts small classes and is a pioneer in experiential-based learning, but the quality comes with a price. One year of tuition at MIT costs more than $48,000.
