Why Babson Tops Major Rankings

Babson tops major rankings
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One hundred percent of Babson students take action toward starting a business, and 2,000 ventures have been launched by graduate and undergraduate students during the last 10 years.

Together they have raised more than $2.1 billion in funding*.

While the numbers are impressive, they represent just a snapshot of the impact of a Babson education.

Entrepreneurship

According to The Princeton Review, Entrepreneur, and Bloomberg Businessweek, Babson continues to have an edge over many other well-known institutions, particularly when it comes to entrepreneurship education.

Today, The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur released their lists of the Top 25 Graduate and Undergraduate Programs for Entrepreneurs.

The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College this year earned the No. 1 spot nationwide, above such well-known institutions as University of Chicago, Rice University, Northwestern University, and Columbia University.

Babson’s undergraduate program is also among the top three in the country.

From Babson’s signature business pitch events and accelerator programs, to innovative resources and spaces like its centers and institutes and the Weissman Foundry, Babson is a living and learning laboratory where students pursue, and take immediate action on, their many pursuits.

“No matter what our graduates leave here to do, or where they go to work, they will encounter challenges, opportunities, and new ideas,” shared Candida Brush, vice provost of Global Entrepreneurial Learning at Babson College. “Our students learn through required entrepreneurial practice to seek out opportunity, apply what they know, experiment, iterate, and learn. This is what helps us collectively make progress in this wildly changing world, and it’s a mindset that applies in any context, including at family firms, corporations, nonprofits, and startups.”

Recognizing the positive impacts of such hands-on entrepreneurial experiences, Bloomberg Businessweek also just announced a first-of-its-kind specialty index focused on entrepreneurship as part of its Best Business Schools ranking.

With nearly 27,000 student, alumni, and recruiter survey responses, as well as compensation and job-placement data, Bloomberg named Babson No. 3, ahead of impressive peers such as UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Carnegie Mellon University.

According to Bloomberg, Babson has one of the best entrepreneurship programs in the country, especially as more and more “students see entrepreneurship as central to their overall training, whether they want to start their own businesses or work at a big bank.”

Corporate recruiters agree, commenting that Babson’s “graduates [show] exceptional entrepreneurial skills and drive.”

Student and alumni survey responses also praised the unique, integrated programming and Babson’s “entrepreneurial mindset [which is] engraved in the DNA of the school and the students.”

One hundred percent of Babson’s entrepreneurship faculty—making up the largest dedicated entrepreneurship department in the world—have started, bought, or run a business. As such, they contribute to this notion of Babson’s having its own entrepreneurial DNA.

Whether participating in one or many of Babson’s co-curricular activities, or fostering a lifelong, meaningful connection with a faculty member and entrepreneur, Babson’s graduates leave uniquely prepared to lead in a new way, and tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Earlier this year, Babson celebrated its 25th consecutive year as No. 1 for entrepreneurship according to U.S. News & World Report.

Return on Investment

Beyond program specialty, return on investment (ROI) is an ever-increasing and important factor when deciding on a college degree.

In Massachusetts, a state with well over 100 colleges and universities, Babson is ranked No. 3 for undergraduate salary potential according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Behind only MIT and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Babson boasts a robust median alumni salary of $96,100 within 10 years of graduation.

Nationwide, Babson is No. 2 for alumni earnings among national business program peers and No. 7 overall.

In September, Money magazine and PayScale each gave Babson high praise as one of the best business schools for salary potential. According to PayScale, alumni ultimately enjoy a 20-year net ROI between $793,000 and $941,000.

Online Learning

To round out the flurry of recent recognition is The Princeton Review’s Top 25 Online MBA ranking.

On this list, Babson is named No. 10 in the United States.

Babson’s Blended Learning MBA is known around the world for its distinctive approach to a program aimed at working professionals, combining online classes and face-to-face sessions at Babson’s campuses in Wellesley, Mass.; Miami; and Dubai, U.A.E. (coming fall 2019).

This year, Financial Times also ranked Babson’s Blended Learning MBA No. 3 in the United States and No. 6 worldwide in its Online MBA ranking. Alumni of this program earn an average salary of $167,386** within three years of graduation.

Looking Ahead

Coming into its second century, Babson is on a mission to put the power of entrepreneurship in the most hands, and places, as possible.

Looking past the accolades and potential personal ROI, the College is most proud of its global network of 41,000+ alumni and students working to create economic and social value simultaneously.

Spanning 119 countries, and rooted in Babson’s entrepreneurial way of thinking and acting, this network puts what they have learned to practice—transforming lives, businesses, and communities for the better.

*Includes investment funds

** Units in US$ PPP

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