No. 2 Again: Wall Street Journal Ranks Babson the No. 2 Best College for the Second Year in a Row
For the second year in a row, Babson College is the No. 2 Best College in America.
In its latest analysis of best colleges, The Wall Street Journal ranked Babson No. 2, according to the WSJ/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. report.
“This ranking continues to demonstrate the tremendous success of our students and alumni and their impact on the world,” said Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. “The Wall Street Journal’s rankings have garnered increased attention since their methodology changed two years ago to place a greater focus on student outcomes and success. To retain our spot at number two for a second consecutive year, and third straight year in the top 10, amid this heightened focus, is a testament to the consistent impact our students and alumni make across industries around the world.”
Babson has excelled in The Wall Street Journal rankings since it revamped its methodology to emphasize the impact of colleges on their students’ success. Two years ago, Babson vaulted to No. 10, and last year, Babson leaped again to No. 2. This year, Babson cemented its position at No. 2, just behind Stanford and ahead of Yale, Princeton, and Harvard, which round out the top five.
“Unlike other school rankings, this list emphasizes one point: How well did the college prepare students for financial success?” the Wall Street Journal story said. “More than any other factor, it rewards the boost an institution provides to its graduates’ salaries, beyond an estimate of what they could have expected from attending any college.”
Among the top 10 schools, Babson ranked first for Learning Opportunities, Preparation for Career, Learning Facilities, and Recommendations.
Babson was noted specifically as being one of the best colleges for its learning environment, which was one of the factors measured in a survey of about 120,000 students and recent alumni. The survey also measured quality of teaching and feedback, career preparation, and how likely students were to recommend their school to a friend.
Among the top 10 schools, Babson ranked first for Learning Opportunities, Preparation for Career, Learning Facilities, and Recommendations. The rest of the top 10 includes Claremont McKenna College, University of California–Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and Davidson College.
“Higher education has never been under more scrutiny. From the broad questioning of the value of a college degree to increased federal oversight, colleges and universities across the country need to define their value statement clearly to prospective learners,” Spinelli said. “Our industry remains critically important to the future economic and social success of our country. College leaders need to lean into their niches and define what it means to ‘be the best.’
“For Babson, that means creating and preparing entrepreneurial leaders to have a real impact on society and the economy around the world. Not all of our students start businesses or launch new ventures, but all of them think creatively, aren’t afraid to iterate, and strive to make a real impact in their lives and others. That attitude and mindset is what sets Babson apart.”
Developing Entrepreneurial Leaders
In its story, The Wall Street Journal lauded Babson for its hands-on approach to real-word learning, in particular its signature Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course for first-year students.
“Many collegiate business programs require soon-to-be-graduates to pitch their own entrepreneurial idea as part of a capstone-style class,” it wrote. “Babson College, which landed at the No. 2 spot overall in this year’s rankings, demands this of first-year students.
The latest impressive recognitions continue a host of honors and accolades for the College, especially with regard to student outcomes and return on investment, as it has expanded its focus from entrepreneurship education to entrepreneurial leadership. Last week, Babson was named the No. 1 undergraduate school for entrepreneurship for the 29th consecutive time by U.S. News & World Report.
The No. 2 College in America: Read more about Babson’s stellar Wall Street Journal ranking in Babson Magazine.
According to Payscale’s 2024 College Salary Report, Babson ranked No. 5 overall for mid-career salary potential with a median salary of $181,400 for alumni with 10-plus years of experience. Also, the undergraduate Class of 2024 reported an average annual starting salary of $77,681—the highest in the College’s history.
“I’m proud of the leadership of our students and the success of our alumni network,” Babson Provost and Executive Vice President Ariel Armony said. “My academic career as a student, faculty member, and administrator has brought me to so many exceptional colleges and universities around the world, and I’ve been so impressed with the drive of Babson’s community of entrepreneurial leaders. This important recognition is a testament to their efforts to make the world a better place.”
Last month, in its inaugural ranking of the best 50 colleges in the country, LinkedIn ranked Babson No. 1 in four categories and No. 7 overall in the United States. Babson was ranked No. 1 for the strongest alumni network in the country, No. 1 for the largest share of alumni who become founders or entrepreneurs, No. 1 for fueling business development careers, and No. 1 for alumni working internationally.
Leading on Artificial Intelligence
One prime example of Babson’s leadership in problem-solving innovation is with generative artificial intelligence and the way its students and alumni are succeeding on the leading edge of technology. With the launch of the new C. Dean Metropoulos Institute for Technology and Entrepreneurship and The Generator, the College’s interdisciplinary AI lab, Babson has been a leader in adopting and innovating with AI.
Undergraduate students are required to embrace generative AI when they first step on campus, incorporating it into FME, the College’s flagship course of experiential entrepreneurship. As they work to develop and launch their own business ventures, students use generative AI as a tool, and even partner on their teams, to brainstorm product ideas, generate customer personas, and simulate market research.
Also, the inaugural Babson AI Showcase in April featured 10 new ventures by students and alumni who are creating AI solutions for the world’s problems. The winning venture—Vacavision by Bryan Ramirez Galindo MSEL’25 and Alejandro Torres MSEL’25—is an AI-powered monitoring system to track herds of cows. Separately, a pair of Babson students—Cole Collins ’26 and Vaness (Reece) Gardner ’26—created the Dam Chair, which is believed to be the first full-scale chair designed with generative AI installed on a college campus.
“Babson equips our students to be leaders in the embrace of generative AI. They’re doing incredible things and were pioneers in AI since Day One,” Spinelli said. “While many questioned if AI had a place in higher education and wondered if students would use the technology for nefarious reasons, Babson students were collaborating with our faculty to explore ways they could leverage the technology as thought partners, administrators, and co-creators to rapidly bring their ideas to scale.”
Also, earlier this year, Babson’s Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) was selected as a CIO 100 Award winner for the second year in a row for its successful “All-In” AI strategy, led by Chief Information Officer Patty Patria, which included:
- Creating an AI Dashboard to track weekly AI usage and AI grant funding awarded, as well as other key metrics.
- Launching an asynchronous Foundations of AI Badge for students, faculty, and staff that explores the impact of AI on business.
- Purchasing licenses of M365 Copilot for faculty and staff.
- Piloting new MathBot technology in two statistics courses, and building additional bots, including a Prototyping Bot.
- Hiring a new senior director of AI analytics, who has been instrumental in working with faculty and students on managing and growing its AI endeavors.
Always Evolving and Innovating
One of Babson’s strengths is its continual evolution and innovation. In the past year, the College announced several major new initiatives to better prepare more entrepreneurial leaders on their lifelong learning journey.
Last September, Babson launched the Metropoulos Institute at the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Thanks to a generous investment from C. Dean Metropoulos ’67, MBA’68, the institute integrates technological advancements with an entrepreneurial mindset required to lead in an increasingly AI-driven world.
In December, the College announced the launch of its Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program, a transformative initiative designed to equip career professionals with academic research skills and the tools to address today’s complex business challenges while fostering innovative solutions. The inaugural cohort of DBA students began the first 33-month program this academic year.
In March, Babson announced a historic capital plan to transform its executive conference center to complete the full vision of the Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village and build a new Executive Lodge and Conference Center, a lodging and event space for its professional and executive learning programs.
In June, the College launched an expanded Professional and Executive Education portfolio. The portfolio includes Babson On-Demand™, a collection of online and flexible courses with an emphasis on the entrepreneurial mindset, innovation, and practical, in-demand business skills.
And, just this month, Babson announced the launch of the TARCO Institute for Real Estate and Entrepreneurship, the eighth center and institute at the Blank School. Thanks to the generosity of Todd Ruderman MBA’99, the TARCO Institute will prepare the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders to explore real estate as a powerful vehicle for innovation, wealth creation, and community impact.
Babson’s commitment to innovation and growth as part of its strategic vision has propelled it to continued excellence in rankings from The Wall Street Journal and LinkedIn, and it ensures that Babson continues to develop the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.
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