WashU Olin holds strong in Princeton Review entrepreneurship rankings for 2022

Washington University in St. Louis and Olin Business School got more good news this week about their entrepreneurship education programs, this time from The Princeton Review‘s 16th annual ranking of undergraduate and graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies.

Nationally, the school’s undergraduate program placed seventh in the ranking, up two spots from last year’s #9 ranking. The graduate program notched a 13th-place showing, also up year-over-year from 15th. The publication also ranked schools regionally; in the Midwest, Olin ranked first for its undergraduate program and fourth for its graduate program.

The Princeton Review‘s ranking comes on the heels of the third annual ranking of MBA entrepreneurship programs by Poets & Quants, which placed WashU Olin in first place for the third consecutive year.

“At WashU, entrepreneurship is highly experiential and collaborative. We encourage our students to connect with the St. Louis community and beyond, thus expanding their network. Most notably, the majority of entrepreneurial opportunities at WashU are open to ALL undergrad and grad students, faculty, staff, postdocs, and alumni”, said II Luscri, assistant vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship and managing director of the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “It is this blend of curricular and co-curricular; campus and community; creativity and entrepreneurship; not bound to discipline or school, that distinguishes our entrepreneurial offerings.”

Support of WashU student entrepreneurs has been crucial for venture success. In the last 10 years, 279 companies founded by undergraduate students have engaged with the Skandalaris Center and gone on to raise a combined $5.2 billion. Of those companies, 62% are still in business today.

On the graduate side, in the last 10 years, 240 companies started by WashU graduate students have engaged with the Skandalaris Center and eventually raised a combined total of nearly $288 million. Of those, 55% are still in business today.

“Since the mid-2000s when we first reported these ranking lists, student interest in entrepreneurship has grown dramatically, as has the commitment to entrepreneurship studies within higher education,” Rob Franek, The Princeton Review‘s editor-in-chief, said in a written statement. “We heartily recommend the fine schools that made our entrepreneurship studies ranking lists this year. Their faculties are outstanding. Their programs have robust experiential components, and their students receive awesome mentoring and networking support that will serve them for years to come.”

The Princeton Review‘s ranking is based on the results of a 60-question survey, which collects data on the percentage of faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors; the number and reach of mentorship programs; scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies; and the level of support for school-sponsored business plan competitions.