Top 25 Graduate Programs for Entrepreneurship in 2013 Our annual report evaluates the best entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. Here's a look at the top 25 graduate programs.
By Entrepreneur Staff •
Entrepreneur magazine's annual Princeton Review report on business schools renews its rankings of the top entrepreneurship programs in the country. The roster is based on a survey of more than 2,000 institutions, looking at academics and requirements, as well as the percentage of recent graduates who've started up and the percentage of faculty who already have.
The survey also includes off-campus learning opportunities such as partnerships, clubs and competitions.
Related: The Top 50 Entrepreneurship Programs of 2011
1. Babson College
Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship
Babson Park, Mass.
2011-12 Enrollment: 1,279
Babson College hasn't remained No. 1 on our graduate-school list for five years in a row for no reason. The Babson Park, Mass., school's Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship began offering its program in 1967 -- making it the second oldest on our top 10 list.
The school's faculty is comprised entirely of entrepreneurs, and at $65,000, the total prize money offered to 2011-12 students participating in competitions may not be the biggest purse on our list, but it isn't anything to sniff at either.
2. University of Michigan
Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Ann Arbor, Mich.
2011-12 Enrollment: 2,192
The University of Michigan's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies has the highest number of students enrolled in its entrepreneurship program on our list -- nearly doubling the number of its closest competitor.
If that's not all, among the top 10, the school boasts the second biggest percentage of recent graduates who've launched businesses. And 95 percent of those graduates report still being in business today.
Related: Does College Matter for Entrepreneurs?
3. Brigham Young University
Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology
Provo, Utah
2011-12 Enrollment: 314
For would-be entrepreneurs looking for off-campus learning opportunities and mentorship programs, Brigham Young University's Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology is top of the heap.
The school maintains 14 entrepreneurship clubs and organizations, as well as 22 mentorship programs -- making it the No. 1 program on our list for extracurricular entrepreneurial activities. The school is also the least expensive on our top 10 list -- with annual out-of-state and in-state tuition fees of $20,560 and $10,280, respectively.
4. Rice University
Jones Graduate School Entrepreneurship Program
Houston
2011-12 Enrollment: 343
Rice University's Jones Graduate School Entrepreneurship Program costs thousands of dollars less to attend than other programs on our list. It also awards some of the most generous scholarships and grant packages to its entrepreneurship-graduate students.
In the 2011-12 school year, students netted nearly $1 million -- making it the third most generous school on our top 10 list.
5. The University of Texas at Austin
Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship
Austin, Texas
2011-12 Enrollment: 327
Kudos go to the University of Texas at Austin for having the oldest entrepreneurship program on our list. The school's Herb Kelleher Center of Entrepreneurship was founded all the way back in 1964.
And although the percentage of recent graduates (5 percent) who've gone on to start businesses is slim, 100 percent of those businesses are still up and running. Plus, at well above $1 million, the school came in No. 1 on our ranking as the most generous with grant and scholarship money for the year.
6. Washington University in St. Louis
Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
St. Louis
2011-12 Enrollment: 638
St. Louis' Washington University may have one of the youngest entrepreneurship programs on our list, but its entrepreneur-cultivating skills shouldn't be ignored. Fifty-eight percent of recent grads from the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies started up after graduating -- giving the school the honor of having the highest percentage of new companies among the top 10.
7. University of Chicago
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship
Chicago
2011-12 Enrollment: 580
At $161,300 for the year, the University of Chicago doesn't offer the biggest prize package to its entrepreneurship student body on our top 10 list, but it does come in second place. And though just 3 percent of recent graduates from the school's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship started up upon graduating, 82 percent of those companies are still in business.
8. University of Virginia
The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Charlottesville, Va.
2011-12 Enrollment: 686
The prize money offered up to competition winners attending the University of Virginia's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is slim compared with other schools on our top 10 list. But at more than $1 million, the amount of scholarship and grant money awarded students in the 2011-12 school year was generous. Only one other school on our top 10 list offers more support for graduate students.
Related: 9 Successful Entrepreneurs Moonlighting as Professors
9. University of Arizona
McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship
Tucson, Ariz.
2011-12 Enrollment: 50
If small class sizes appeal to you, it's likely that University of Arizona's McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship will too. The school offered enrollment to just 50 students in its entrepreneurship program during the 2011-12 school year. And while a quarter of recent graduates launched businesses, 100 percent of those companies are still around today.
10. University of Washington
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Seattle
2011-12 Enrollment: 835
Not only does the University of Washington maintain the second least expensive entrepreneurship program on our top 10 list, it's the most generous. The total prize money awarded students participating in competitions in the 2011-12 school year clocked in at $534,000.
Still, there are just five entrepreneurship clubs and organizations available to students at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
11. University of South Florida
USF Center for Entrepreneurship
Tampa, Fla.
2011-12 Enrollment: 218
Every single one of the faculty members of the USF Center for Entrepreneurship has successfully started, bought, or run a business, so you know you'll be learning from experts. The reasonably affordable in-state tuition ($9,677) makes up for the middle of the road scholarship and grant money available ($50,00).
The program has been around for 20 years, and 90% of the recent graduate who started up are still in business -- another solid number.
12. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Chapel Hill, N.C.
2011-12 Enrollment: 1,360
The large, well-established program at the UNC's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies touts an impressive 100% success rate for the graduates who started a business after getting their diploma.
While only a small percentage (6%) of the most recent class took the leap after graduation, the $30,408 in-state tuition will get you a spot in front of experienced faculty, 95% of which are themselves successful business owners. So when you are ready to take the entrepreneurial plunge you'll be well-prepared.
13. Temple University
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Philadelphia
2011-12 Enrollment: 515
A large bank of prize money ($149,300) was available for students in the last academic year at Temple University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The success rate for the small number of graduates who started a business (11%) is a little better than half at 64%.
Your chances of being saddled with tons of student debt are lower with $663, 300 in scholarships and grant money available to help you cover the $25,346 in-state tuition.
14. Oklahoma State University
School of Entrepreneurship
Stillwater, Okla.
2011-12 Enrollment: 450
There was only $3,000 of prize money to available for last term's class at OSU's School of Entrepreneurship. But, the low in-state tuition ($6492) should help ease the blow.
The solid program reports two-thirds of the recent class tried their hand at starting a business, and another 75% of those entrepreneurs are still in business.
15. University of Utah
Pierre Lassonde Entrepreneur Center
Salt Lake City
2011-12 Enrollment: 597
The Pierre Lassonde Entrepreneur Center may have only been around since the dawn of the new millennium, but they have built some solid numbers. All of the faculty have entrepreneurial experience, and while only 3% of graduates started up, 100% are still in business.
The $255,700 in available prize money, $350,000 in scholarship and grant funds and 19 mentorship programs all aim to make the college years as productive as possible.
16. Cornell University
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute
Ithaca, N.Y.
2011-12 Enrollment: 18
The 30-year-old Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at this well-known university has an air of exclusivity with a small enrollment of just 18. All of the faculty come to the classroom with a strong business background, while half of the graduates decided to start their own business after graduation and 80% are still in business.
There are also 11 entrepreneurship clubs and organizations and five mentorship programs to keep students engaged outside of the classroom.
17. DePaul University
Entrepreneurship Program
Chicago
2011-12 Enrollment: 148
The Entrepreneurship Program at Chicago's DePaul University gets solid numbers across the board. With 100% of the faculty bringing business experience to the classroom, and 21% of graduates giving entrepreneurship a go after graduation (75% of them are still in business).
However, there aren't many too many clubs of mentorship programs (only three of each).
18. Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship
Austin, Texas
2011-12 Enrollment: 20
The Acton MBA in Enrepreneurship is fairly young (it was first offered in 2003). But it touts a 100% success rate for new businesses started by the 25% of graduates who took the entrepreneurial leap last year.
The classes are small and the faculty experienced, but there are no clubs or organizations for aspiring entrepreneurs, and only one mentorship program.
19. University of Missouri-Kansas City
UMKC Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Kansas City, Mo.
2011-12 Enrollment: 349
The UMKC Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation boasts three perfect scores in a row: 100% of faculty with entrepreneurial experience, 100% of graduates who started up, and 100% who are still in business. The low tuition ($6,409), decent scholarship money ($615,614), and high number of clubs (28) and mentorship programs (78) add to the appeal.
20. University of Louisville
Entrepreneurship MBA
Louisville, Ky.
2011-12 Enrollment: 40
A draw for out-of-state students, the tuition is the same for them as it is for residents for the Entrepreneurship MBA at University of Louisville. Of the 42% of recent graduates who launched businesses, all of them are still in business today. Although there are only a few clubs and mentorship programs, the class size is small and there's $82,740 available in prize money.
21. University of Southern California
Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Los Angeles
2011-12 Enrollment: 734
Established in 1971, the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at University of Southern California clocks in among the oldest on our list. The majority of faculty have a startup background (90%), but numbers on how many graduates when into business themselves (or are still in business) isn't available.
22. Tulane University
Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship
New Orleans
2011-12 Enrollment: 58
The small program at Tulane University's Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship has been around for two decades. A small 15% of recent grads went into business for themselves, but 80% of that group have companies that are still around today.
23. Columbia University
The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center
New York
2011-12 Enrollment: 2,166
Columbia University's Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center offers the second largest program on our list. It's an impressive university, but it gets a lower ranking for the less than stellar turnout: a mere 5% of recent grads started their own business after graduation, but at least all of them are still in business today.
24. University of Maryland
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
College Park, Md.
2011-12 Enrollment: 152
A paltry 6% of recent grads from University of Maryland's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship have taken the plunge and started their own business, but 100% of those that have are still at it. Perhaps due in part to the business background of their teachers.
25. University of Oklahoma
Center for Entrepreneurship
Norman, Okla.
2011-12 Enrollment: 58
The youngest program on our list is perhaps still going through some growing pains, with only 8% of grads starting up. But the future looks promising: all are still in business today. A good plan for the future: beef up the extracurriculars (there is only 1 entrepreneurship organization and 5 mentorship programs)
