Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges for Business/Economics in the U.S.
What’s Covered:
- How We Put This List Together
- Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges for Business/Economics
- For More Information
Business and Economics are both great, highly employable college majors. By studying business, you will learn the tricks of the trade, helping you to successfully run and operate all facets of a corporation. Your eyes will be opened to how many kinds of business opportunities are available to you, and you’ll likely be given numerous resources to launch your career as a businessperson.
If you study Economics, you’re going to learn about how world economies operate both on a micro and a macro level. From simple supply and demand to complicated econometric models and regressions, you will have the tools to understand the movements of the economy and will be able to apply that knowledge to most post-graduation careers.
Through our work with thousands of students, we’ve found 10 schools that are consistently underrated when it comes to their Business/Economics offerings, schools that shouldn’t be discounted. So, if you’re thinking about pursuing a degree in either of these fields, here are some hidden gems among U.S. colleges that might pique your interest.
How We Put This List Together
The traditional college rankings do a decent job of ranking the best universities, but they leave some key factors out when determining the rankings. Here at CollegeVine, we like to advise families on the most underrated colleges based on the outcomes that these schools could bring to their students, such as starting salary, ROI, job placements, and other resume-building factors.
When putting this list together, we used the following criteria:
- Cost of attendance and generosity of financial aid & scholarships
- One- and five-year ROI after graduation
- Financial performance of specific majors
- Qualitative data on career outcomes like job placements and grad school progression
Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges for Business/Economics
1. Babson College
Location: Babson Park, MA
Acceptance Rate: 25%
Undergrad Enrollment: 2,500
Babson College—located in cozy Wellesley, Massachusetts—is an independent, not-for-profit institution that prides itself on cultivating entrepreneurship. Babson is a smaller college, with 2,500 total undergraduates and 1,000 graduates in attendance from over 100 countries.
Babson College is ranked in the Top 10 for ROI and Career Outcomes. The school offers access to the attractive Boston job market, excellent merit scholarships, and a focus on entrepreneurship. The college has a Business major with an Economics concentration available. If you’re looking to pursue these fields, Babson College may be perfect for you.
Learn more about Babson College and what it takes to get accepted.
2. University of Texas System
Location: Austin, TX (main campus)
Acceptance Rate: 29% (UT Austin)
Undergrad Enrollment: 44,300 (UT Austin)
The University of Texas has its main campus in Austin, but there are satellite campuses all over Texas. Their Business school at UT Austin—McComb’s School of Business—offers both undergraduate business and MBA programs. The University of Texas also offers a comprehensive Economics path.
The Economics major is offered through the College of Liberal Arts. If you decide to do Business through the McComb’s School of Business, you’ll be able to explore and choose a specific business function to specialize in. This option is not available in many undergraduate business programs.
UT is ranked in the Top 15 for ROI and Career Outcomes, and it generally ranks within the top 30 on popular ranking lists. By attending UT, you gain access to the Austin, Houston, and Dallas job markets, along with having the prestige of attending a should-be public ivy.
Learn more about the University of Texas at Austin and what it takes to get accepted.
3. Brigham Young University | BYU
Location: Provo, UT
Acceptance Rate: 69%
Undergrad Enrollment: 34,200
Brigham Young University, a large university located in Provo, Utah, is a Mormon-affiliated school that emphasizes a religious lifestyle. This school is a very cost-effective option for students who are looking to go out-of-state, especially for members of the Latter-day Saints. For LDS members, the cost is $22,600, while for non-LDS members, it is $29,488. Keep in mind that these are sticker costs, and that you may pay less if you receive financial aid.
BYU has a large business school with the ability to specialize in various disciplines such as Strategic Management, Accountancy, and Marketing. BYU also has an MBA program within its business school, so there are likely to be resources for any aspiring MBA candidates.
The undergraduate Economics major at BYU is part of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. This major is helpful because they have created courses that will help you with specific post-graduate career tracks, such as Law, MBA, and other fields. You can explore this major here.
BYU is ranked in the top 30 in ROI and Career Outcomes. If you attend BYU, you’ll have great access to the Salt Lake City and “Silicon Slopes” job market.
Learn more about Brigham Young University and what it takes to get accepted.
4. University of Utah
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Undergrad Enrollment: 26,300
The University of Utah is located in exciting Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s one of the best in the nation at creating startup companies based on student and faculty research. It also boasts an attractive campus with lots to do along with Big 12 athletics.
The University of Utah’s business school is called the David Eccles School of Business. If you decide to pursue undergraduate business studies through Eccles, you’ll be able to explore and choose the specific business function you would like to specialize in. This option is not available in many undergraduate business schools.
The University of Utah is ranked in the Top 65 for ROI and Career Outcomes. The University of Utah also provides strategic access to the Salt Lake City and “Silicon Slopes” job markets.
Learn more about the University of Utah and what it takes to get accepted.
5. University of Idaho
Location: Moscow, ID
Acceptance Rate: 80%
Undergrad Enrollment: 9,600
The University of Idaho is located in Moscow, Idaho, with locations in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, and Idaho Falls. One of the nation’s land-grant research universities, U of I focuses on student-centered learning and interdisciplinary research. Students who attend this university’s Boise satellite campus have access to the exciting job market there.
The University of Idaho’s business and economics programs are unique in that there are multiple separate majors that all fall under the realm of business and economics. For example, in addition to Economics, the University of Idaho has an Agricultural Economics major. In addition, the school has a Marketing major, with multiple available emphases.
Learn more about the university’s majors here. The University of Idaho is ranked in the Top 100 for ROI and Career Outcomes.
Learn more about the University of Idaho and what it takes to get accepted.
6. Hofstra University
Location: Hempstead, NY
Acceptance Rate: 68%
Undergrad Enrollment: 6,100
Hofstra University is located in Hempstead, Long Island, very close to New York City. It’s a private, nonsectarian, educational university with over 6,000 undergraduate students. Around 40% of Hofstra’s incoming students receive merit scholarships, and all students have access to a thriving New York City job market.
The Frank G. Zarb School of Business’s undergraduate business program is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation. The business school has a heavy focus on experiential learning opportunities such as the dual degree with Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in China, where students get to have a global internship experience while earning bachelor’s degrees in Business and Economics from Hofstra and Dongbei, respectively.
Hofstra University was ranked in the Top 70 for ROI and Career Outcomes.
Learn more about Hofstra University and what it takes to get accepted.
7. Fordham University
Location: Bronx, NY (Business School in Manhattan)
Acceptance Rate: 58%
Undergrad Enrollment: 10,000
Fordham University is the main Jesuit university in New York City. The university offers undergraduate business, finance, and economics programs at its business school, the Gabelli School of Business. Students are also allowed to add a second concentration on top of their major, giving them a truly well-rounded learning experience.
Fordham University is ranked in the Top 35 for ROI and Career Outcomes. Students who attend the Gabelli School of Business in Manhattan have direct access to the sprawling New York City job market. This is a private university, so it might be a little bit more expensive; however, it’s definitely worth looking into.
Learn more about Fordham University and what it takes to get accepted.
8. Bryant University
Location: Smithfield, RI
Acceptance Rate: 65%
Undergrad Enrollment: 3,200
Bryant University is located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with access to the Boston job market. Bloomberg Businessweek ranked it in its Top 50 Business programs, and its business programs consistently rank in the Top 15 of other popular lists.
Bryant University offers many unique majors within the business and economics realm, such as Marketing Analytics and Management. In addition, students at Bryant are not allowed to choose a minor in the same discipline. This is done in an attempt to combine Business education and Liberal Arts education.
Bryant University is ranked in the Top 150 for ROI and Career Outcomes.
Learn more about Bryant University and what it takes to get accepted.
9. Drexel University
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance Rate: 78%
Undergrad Enrollment: 13,300
Drexel University has several campus locations and is one of America’s 15 largest private universities. Drexel’s main campus has access to the Philadelphia and New York City job markets, but the job market access varies depending on which location you are in.
There are multiple combined Economics majors at Drexel, and several Business tracks as well, such as International Business and Sports Management. These are all offered through the LeBow College of Business.
Drexel University ranks among the Top 75 in terms of ROI and Career Outcomes.
Learn more about Drexel University and what it takes to get accepted.
10. The College of New Jersey | TCNJ
Location: Ewing Township, NJ
Acceptance Rate: 62%
Undergrad Enrollment: 7,400
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), located in scenic Ewing Township, New Jersey, has one of the highest graduation rates of all four-year colleges and universities. It is also located next to Philadelphia and New York City, which are both thriving job markets.
TCNJ’s School of Business is a great stepping stone for an MBA. There are five undergraduate programs offered by the Business school, all related to different business departments. TCNJ Business students can study Accounting and Information Systems; Economics; Finance; Management; and Marketing & Interdisciplinary Business.
TCNJ is ranked in the Top 150 in ROI and Career Outcomes. Finally, there are no minimum transcript requirements for admission into TCNJ.
For More Information
Interested in discovering more underrated colleges? Check out the following blog posts:
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the U.S.
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic
Top 10 Most Underrated West Coast Colleges
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