When you look up the top schools for a specific academic discipline, you’ll likely notice that they tend to overlap with the national university rankings—and the same is true for undergraduate business programs. The Enrichery encourages students to consider a diverse set of universities when developing a school list, and a component of diversifying a college list is considering schools across a range of selectivity.
The top 10 undergraduate business programs include five Ivy League members, four Ivy-league equivalent private schools, and one public Ivy—the University of Michigan. As such, it would be incredibly difficult—even with an impressive high school resume, admissions essays, and test scores—to get into one of these universities, and your student may not even be admitted into their preferred major if they are accepted. Lists for the best programs can be a useful starting point, but a U.S. News & World News or Forbes ranking shouldn’t be the deciding factor for which colleges your student applies to. Arguably more significant is identifying what your student hopes to get out of a program.
For a business major, an ideal program might offer high job placement rates, return on investment, and unique career opportunities. Below are a handful of programs that offer a combination of these qualities.
University of Indiana
The University of Indiana’s Kelley School of Business was tied for 9th in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 ranking for the best undergraduate business programs, and 7 of its 20 majors were also ranked in the top 10 of major-specific lists by U.S. News & World Report. A component that sets the Kelley School of Business apart, however, is its dedicated undergraduate career services, which contributes to Kelley graduates’ high placement rates and competitive starting salaries.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business was ranked as the highest public BBA program by Niche for 2025, but even more telling is that 95% of its undergraduate alumni are employed within 3 months of graduation. Terry also focuses on international business, offering faculty-led study away programs and summer internships in Germany, Chile, and South Korea.
Babson College
Unlike the other top business programs, Babson College is a small, non-profit college located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, dedicated to entrepreneurial business education. That focus is part of the reason why The Walls Street Journal named it as the 2nd best college in America for 2025 and 1st in preparedness for 2024. U.S. News & World Report has also named it as the best program for entrepreneurship for the past 28 years. Most importantly of all, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce placed it in the top 20 for return on investment (ROI) at 10, 20, 30, and 40 years following graduation.
Santa Clara University
Located in the middle of Silicon Valley, the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University offers a unique, technology-focused business education based on social consciousness grounded in its Jesuit educational tradition. Courses like MGMT 181, Conscientious Capitalism, partner with the Center for Conscientious Leadership to teach students “the role of Purpose, Virtue, Intentionality, Tenacity, and Accountability.” Its proximity to massive technology corporations also means its students have interned for or are currently employed at companies like Apple, J.P. Morgan, Google, Cisco, T-Mobile, EY, and Deloitte.
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business and Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School are well-known for their outstanding undergraduate and graduate programs, but there is another exceptional public business school in Texas. Ranked in the top 25 public university business programs by Poets & Quants and with four programs in the top 20 for those respective majors according to U.S. News & World Report, the University of Texas at Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management has become a leader in national and international education since opening in 1975. Unlike other business programs, every major at the Naveen Jindal School of Management is designated as a Bachelor of Science and many students choose to participate in academic research during their undergraduate education.
All the blue-blooded programs that dominate annual rankings offer excellent educations and—arguably, more importantly—connect students with an exceptional alumni network. For that reason, it is completely understandable if your entrepreneurial students’ dream is to attend UPenn’s Wharton School of Business. (And we encourage them to apply!) However, there are many, many, many excellent business programs. The trick is finding one that best fits your student.
Conducting that research is—understandably—daunting. If you or your student are looking for support while researching universities (or during any other part of the college admissions process), our expert team is here to help. The Enrichery offers multiple college admissions packages tailored to you and your student’s needs. Contact us today to learn more!
