WashU remains a leader in entrepreneurship rankings

WashU ranked #5 in entrepreneurship for undergraduate programs and #4 for graduate programs in The Princeton Review’s new rankings.

The rankings reflect the university’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit among its students.

“These rankings are great,” said WashU Olin Dean Mike Mazzeo. “But they’re not surprising. At Olin, our culture of entrepreneurship has a long history, and we’re going to take it to the next level with our new strategic plan.” One area to watch is innovations to advance the business of health, he said.

The Princeton Review released its rankings on November 12, the same day Poets & Quants released its rankings of the world’s best MBA programs for entrepreneurship, which ranked Olin third. EDHEC Business School’s Global MBA took the top spot, while Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business edged out Olin for #2 — by just 0.01 point.

WashU offers an array of entrepreneurial courses and extracurricular activities designed to ignite entrepreneurship in students at all levels. Across the university, 50+ courses primarily focused on entrepreneurship offer students rich opportunities to immerse themselves in innovative thinking and practice. 

Olin offers 35 entrepreneurship electives, representing 23% of all business school electives. Its entrepreneurship classes are highly experiential and collaborative and encourage students to test their concepts. Most courses connect students to the St. Louis entrepreneurship community and expand their networks. This includes The League, a course that brings in successful entrepreneurs to guide student founders.

In addition, the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship acts as a hub for co-curricular entrepreneurship activities at WashU. The center provides hands-on workshops, a yearlong fellowship, student-owned business opportunities, mentors, entrepreneurship competitions, and links to the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem.

WashU distinguishes itself from peer institutions that limit entrepreneurship to the business school. Undergrad students can easily take classes and major or minor in other schools, reflecting the university’s interdisciplinary approach.

“Entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of innovation, thriving on the synergy of diverse minds and disciplines,” said II Luscri, assistant vice provost for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and managing director of the Skandalaris Center.

“Rankings by The Princeton Review and other publications are incredibly important. Prospective and current students pay attention, and they are inspired to come here ready to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship from day one,” he said.

The rankings are based on an analysis of data collected from nearly 300 institutions offering entrepreneurial studies. For more information on the methodology behind the rankings, please visit the official website.