Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School took the top spot in a new ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs unveiled Dec. 5. Business education news outlet Poets & Quants announced Olin was No. 1 in its debut survey of the top 50 undergraduate programs in the nation.
The ranking’s methodology incorporated three equally weighted categories to paint a complete picture of each university’s educational experience. Those categories included: admissions standards that measure the quality of incoming students; alumni perspectives; and employment data including internships before senior year, full-time employment rates within 90 days of graduation, and average salary and compensation.
“We are delighted by this new undergraduate ranking,” said Mark Taylor, dean of Olin Business School. “Olin’s commitment to excellence across all programs and platforms is unparalleled, as evidenced by this recognition from Poets & Quants.
“As we look to the future and building on the school’s solid reputation as a national and global leader in business education, I am grateful to Mahendra Gupta for his strong leadership during his tenure as dean. Thanks in large part to his vision, we are poised to expand the ‘only-at-Olin’ experience, now and well into the future, educating and inspiring the next generations of global business leaders here at home and across the world,” Taylor said. “This new ranking shows that Olin’s unique combination of strong Midwestern values and global reach and outlook is a real winner.”
Olin’s undergraduate program comprises eight majors and is home to nearly 900 students, 91 percent of whom were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. Olin students hail from 32 states, Puerto Rico and seven countries.
The Olin experience combines excellence in the classroom and learning outside of it: there are more than 20 study-abroad opportunities in which half of Olin’s undergraduates participate each year. Experiential learning is a major component of the undergraduate experience, and entrepreneurship is supported from business inception to startup status via programs such as The Hatchery course and the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
To learn more about the ranking, including Olin’s data, visit the Poets & Quants website.
Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.