While working towards an MBA is almost always a good bet in boosting one’s future financial security, salaries may vary considerably depending on which school one attends, especially when the ROI is taken into consideration. It’s advised to put serious thought into choosing the right program – beginning with undergrad. While Harvard or Wharton might be out of reach at the moment, there are still plenty of schools with lofty reputations and more realistic tuition costs.

To make the choice a bit easier, we’ve compiled the definitive ranking of the best business schools in the United States based on seven variables:

1. Proportion of business students to the general student population
2. Graduation rate
3. Student-to-faculty ratio
4. In-state tuition
5. Out-of-state tuition
6. Number of business programs available
7. Enrollment figures

Excellent business schools are located all across the country, with all major regions accounted for within the top 20 of this ranking. The top ten best business schools are not clustered in one particular region of the country, but rather spread all across the nation, with four in the east, three in the south, and three in the Midwest. No West Coast schools made it to the top ten, but the region is better represented in the #11-#20 brackets, which features one California and one Washington state school.

Ultimately, one must take into account personal preferences and considerations, such as state of residency, budget, and preference of small vs. large campuses, but this ranking should provide a good jumping off point towards earning a degree and advancing one’s career in the business world.

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#1. Fox School of Business, Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

Placing #1 is Temple University’s The Fox School of Business of Philadelphia, PA. A “state-related” school (a private school that receives state financial appropriations so that the school may offer discounts for state residents) founded in 1918 that is the largest business school in the state. For a school of its size, Fox offers a very good student-to-faculty ratio and high graduation rate of 0.71. Tuition at the school (around $21K for in-state students, $36K for out-of-state) is not among the cheapest, but it is not prohibitively expensive compared to other options.

#2. Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland comes in second place. With around half the students of #1 Fox, Robert H. Smith boasts an excellent student-to-faculty ratio of 16.43 and a very affordable in-state tuition cost of about $10K.

#3. The Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY (New York City, NY)

Baruch College is one of the ten senior colleges of The City University of New York, the largest public university in any American urban environment. Fittingly, Baruch is the largest school on this list. Nevertheless, the school does not suffer because of its large number of students and is widely recognized as an excellent school, particularly for its diverse student populace, and excellent value: a rarity for schools in Manhattan.

#4. Graduate School of Business, Bentley University (Waltham, Massachusetts)

The highest ranking fully private university on the list  (and the only in the top ten) is Bentley University (#4) of Waltham, Massachusetts. With one-year tuition costs of $48K for both in-state and out-of-state students, Bentley is not cheap, but the school’s great reputation, excellent student-to-faculty ratio and graduation rate of 91% indicate that attending the school is well worth the price of admission.

#5. J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA)

Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business is another state school with over 100 years of history. Mack Robinson offers a great student-to-faculty ratio and is affordable for out-of-staters as well as in-state residents, with one-year out-of-state tuition costs of about $24K a year for the former group.

Full Ranking of the Best Business Schools

Rank	Name	City	State
1	Temple University, The Fox School of Business	Philadelphia	PA
2	University of Maryland-College Park	College Park	MD
3	Baruch College-The City University of New York, The Zicklin School of Business	New York	NY
4	Bentley University	Waltham	MA
5	Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business	Atlanta	GA
6	Florida International University, College of Business	Miami	FL
7	University of Cincinnati, Carl H. Lindner College of Business	Cincinnati	OH
8	The University of Texas at Austin, Red McCombs School of Business	Austin	TX
9	University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business	Madison	WI
10	Indiana University-Bloomington, Kelley School of Business	Bloomington	IN
11	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gies College of Business	Champaign	IL
12	University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business	Salt Lake City	UT
13	The University of Texas at Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Management	Richardson	TX
14	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	Minneapolis	MN
15	University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business	Seattle	WA
16	California State University-Fullerton, Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics	Fullerton	CA
17	Michigan State University, The Eli Broad College of Business	East Lansing	MI
18	Brigham Young University-Provo, Marriott School of Management	Provo	UT
19	Texas A & M University-College Station, Mays Business School	College Station	TX
20	University of Central Florida, College of Business Administration	Orlando	FL
21	Washington State University, Carson College of Business	Pullman	WA
22	Florida Atlantic University, College of Business	Boca Raton	FL
23	University of Delaware, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics	Newark	DE
24	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School	Chapel Hill	NC
25	Purdue University, Krannert School of Management	West Lafayette	IN
26	University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business	Lincoln	NE
27	University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business	Los Angeles	CA
28	Old Dominion University, Strome College of Business	Norfolk	VA
29	Montclair State University, School of Business	Montclair	NJ
30	University of Pittsburgh, The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business	Pittsburgh	PA
31	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, College of Business and Economics	Whitewater	WI
32	Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School	Baltimore	MD
33	Eastern Michigan University, College of Business	Ypsilanti	MI
34	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor	MI
35	Rochester Institute of Technology, Saunders College of Business	Rochester	NY
36	Central Michigan University, College of Business Administration	Mount Pleasant	MI
37	University of California-Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business	Irvine	CA
38	University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business	Columbia	SC
39	University of Florida, Warrington College of Business Administration	Gainesville	FL
40	University of North Carolina at Charlotte, The Belk College of Business	Charlotte	NC
41	Georgia Institute of Technology, Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business	Atlanta	GA
42	Louisiana State University, E. J. Ourso College of Business	Baton Rouge	LA
43	Oregon State University, College of Business	Corvallis	OR
44	University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business	Houston	TX
45	University of North Texas, College of Business	Denton	TX
46	University of Connecticut, School of Business	Storrs	CT
47	Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Business	Richmond	VA
48	Kennesaw State University, Coles College of Business	Kennesaw	GA
49	Loyola University Chicago, Quinlan School of Business	Chicago	IL
50	Towson University, College of Business and Economics	Towson	MD
51	West Virginia University, John Chambers College of Business and Economics	Morgantown	WV
52	Iowa State University, Ivy College of Business	Ames	IA
53	University at Buffalo, State University of New York, School of Management	Buffalo	NY
54	University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Isenberg School of Management	Amherst	MA
55	Appalachian State University, Walker College of Business	Boone	NC
56	Babson College, F.W. Olin Graduate School	Babson Park	MA
57	Rutgers University-Newark	Newark	NJ
58	Oklahoma State University	Stillwater	OK
59	University of South Dakota, Beacom School of Business	Vermillion	SD
60	Kent State University at Kent	Kent	OH
61	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Pamplin College of Business	Blacksburg	VA
62	Wayne State University, Mike Ilitch School of Business	Detroit	MI
63	Florida State University, College of Business	Tallahassee	FL
64	University of Georgia, Terry College of Business	Athens	GA
65	University of Virginia	Charlottesville	VA
66	Northeastern University, D’Amore-McKim School of Business	Boston	MA
67	University of Michigan-Flint	Flint	MI
68	San Jose State University	San Jose	CA
69	University of Memphis, Fogelman College of Business and Economics	Memphis	TN
70	Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business	Waco	TX
71	Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business	Bronx	NY
72	James Madison University, College of Business	Harrisonburg	VA
73	University of Nebraska at Omaha, College of Business Administration	Omaha	NE
74	University of Colorado Denver, Business School	Denver	CO
75	The University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Business	San Antonio	TX
76	SUNY at Albany	Albany	NY
77	Ball State University, The Miller College of Business	Muncie	IN
78	George Mason University, School of Business	Fairfax	VA
79	Grand Valley State University, Seidman College of Business	Grand Rapids	MI
80	Southeast Missouri State University, Donald L. Harrison College of Business	Cape Girardeau	MO
81	Missouri State University-Springfield	Springfield	MO
82	University of Illinois at Springfield, College of Business and Management	Springfield	IL
83	Colorado State University-Fort Collins, College of Business	Fort Collins	CO
84	University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cameron School of Business	Wilmington	NC
85	Middle Tennessee State University, Jennings A. Jones College of Business	Murfreesboro	TN
86	University of Scranton, The Arthur J. Kania School of Management	Scranton	PA
87	American University, Kogod School of Business	Washington	DC
88	Suffolk University, Sawyer Business School	Boston	MA
89	California State University-Long Beach, College of Business Administration	Long Beach	CA
90	SUNY Polytechnic Institute	Utica	NY
91	Cornell University, College of Business	Ithaca	NY
92	Hofstra University, Frank G. Zarb School of Business	Hempstead	NY
93	Western Carolina University, College of Business	Cullowhee	NC
94	Oakland University, School of Business Administration	Rochester	MI
95	University of Kansas, School of Business	Lawrence	KS
96	University of West Florida, College of Business	Pensacola	FL
97	Drexel University, Bennett S. LeBow College of Business	Philadelphia	PA
98	Pace University, Lubin School of Business	New York	NY
99	Emory University, Goizueta Business School	Atlanta	GA
100	Saint Joseph’s University, Erivan K. Haub School of Business	Philadelphia	PA
101	University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business	Fayetteville	AR
102	California State University-East Bay, College of Business and Economics	Hayward	CA
103	University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Haslam College of Business	Knoxville	TN
104	Sam Houston State University, College of Business Administration	Huntsville	TX
105	George Washington University, School of Business	Washington	DC
106	Western Michigan University, Haworth College of Business	Kalamazoo	MI
107	University of St Thomas, Houston, Cameron School of Business	Houston	TX
108	West Texas A&M University, College of Business	Canyon	TX
109	University of Michigan-Dearborn	Dearborn	MI
110	East Carolina University, College of Business	Greenville	NC
111	Texas State University, McCoy College of Business	San Marcos	TX
112	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	Raleigh	NC
113	Mississippi State University, College of Business	Mississippi State	MS
114	Miami University-Oxford	Oxford	OH
115	Southern Methodist University, Edwin L. Cox School of Business	Dallas	TX
116	University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Business Administration	Chicago	IL
117	Texas A & M University-Commerce, College of Business and Entrepreneurship	Commerce	TX
118	California State University-Northridge, College of Business and Economics	Northridge	CA
119	The University of Tampa, John H. Sykes College of Business	Tampa	FL
120	University of Kentucky, Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics	Lexington	KY
121	University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shidler College of Business	Honolulu	HI
122	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, College of Business Administration	Pomona	CA
123	Georgia Southern University, College of Business Administration	Statesboro	GA
124	University of Houston-Downtown, Davies College of Business	Houston	TX
125	University of Missouri-Kansas City, Henry W. Bloch School of Management	Kansas City	MO
126	Salisbury University, Franklin P. Perdue School of Business	Salisbury	MD
127	University of Wyoming, College of Business	Laramie	WY
128	Marshall University, Lewis College of Business	Huntington	WV
129	University of Nebraska at Kearney, College of Business and Technology	Kearney	NE
130	New Mexico State University	Las Cruces	NM
131	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College	Erie	PA
132	College of William and Mary, Raymond A. Mason School of Business	Williamsburg	VA
133	University of Arkansas at Little Rock, College of Business	Little Rock	AR
134	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Orfalea College of Business	San Luis Obispo	CA
135	Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business	Santa Clara	CA
136	Central Washington University, College of Business	Ellensburg	WA
137	Creighton University, Heider College of Business	Omaha	NE
138	Boston University, Questrom School of Business	Boston	MA
139	University of St Thomas	Minneapolis	MN
140	Seton Hall University, Stillman School of Business	South Orange	NJ
141	California State University-San Bernardino, Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration	San Bernardino	CA
142	Rider University, College of Business Administration	Lawrenceville	NJ
143	Duquesne University, A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration	Pittsburgh	PA
144	Western Illinois University, College of Business and Technology	Macomb	IL
145	University of San Francisco, School of Management	San Francisco	CA
146	Lehigh University, College of Business and Economics	Bethlehem	PA
147	University of North Carolina at Pembroke, School of Business	Pembroke	NC
148	University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Manning School of Business	Lowell	MA
149	University of Dallas, Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business	Irving	TX
150	Villanova University, Villanova School of Business	Villanova	PA
151	Saint Louis University, Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business	St. Louis	MO
152	Texas A&M International University, A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business	Laredo	TX
153	University of Southern Mississippi, College of Business	Hattiesburg	MS
154	College of Charleston, School of Business	Charleston	SC
155	University of New Orleans, College of Business Administration	New Orleans	LA
156	Bowling Green State University, College of Business Administration	Bowling Green	OH
157	University of Central Oklahoma, College of Business	Edmond	OK
158	Eastern Washington University, College of Business and Public Administration	Spokane	WA
159	Texas Tech University, Rawls College of Business Administration	Lubbock	TX
160	The College of New Jersey, School of Business	Ewing	NJ
161	Arkansas State University-Main Campus	State University	AR
162	Georgetown University, The McDonough School of Business	Washington	DC
163	University of Louisville, College of Business	Louisville	KY
164	Clemson University, College of Business	Clemson	SC
165	Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, College of Business	Bloomsburg	PA
166	University of New Mexico, The Robert O. Anderson School of Management	Albuquerque	NM
167	Eastern Illinois University, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences	Charleston	IL
168	Siena College, School of Business	Loudonville	NY
169	University of New Haven, College of Business	West Haven	CT
170	Stevens Institute of Technology, School of Business	Hoboken	NJ
171	Weber State University, John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics	Ogden	UT
172	Cleveland State University, Ahuja College of Business	Cleveland	OH
173	SUNY College at Plattsburgh	Plattsburgh	NY
174	University of South Florida-St Petersburg, Kate Tiedemann College of Business	St. Petersburg	FL
175	University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business	Notre Dame	IN
176	University of Oregon, Charles H. Lundquist College of Business	Eugene	OR
177	Rowan University, Rohrer College of Business	Glassboro	NJ
178	Pepperdine University	Malibu	CA
179	Frostburg State University, College of Business	Frostburg	MD
180	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business	Milwaukee	WI
181	Binghamton University, State University of New York, School of Management	Binghamton	NY
182	Elon University, Martha and Spencer Love School of Business	Elon	NC
183	University of Colorado Colorado Springs, College of Business and Administration	Colorado Springs	CO
184	University of Houston-Clear Lake, College of Business	Houston	TX
185	Ramapo College of New Jersey, Anisfield School of Business	Mahwah	NJ
186	University of Oklahoma, Michael F. Price College of Business	Norman	OK
187	Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management	Cleveland	OH
188	University of New Hampshire, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics	Durham	NH
189	John Carroll University, John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business	University Heights	OH
190	University of Northern Iowa, College of Business Administration	Cedar Falls	IA
191	Illinois State University, College of Business	Normal	IL
192	University of Rochester, William E. Simon Graduate School of Business	Rochester	NY
193	Mercer University	Macon	GA
194	University of California-Riverside, School of Business	Riverside	CA
195	St John’s University-New York	Queens	NY
196	Bradley University, Foster College of Business	Peoria	IL
197	Marquette University, College of Business Administration & Graduate School of Management	Milwaukee	WI
198	Seattle Pacific University, School of Business, Government, and Economics	Seattle	WA
199	California State University-Stanislaus, College of Business Administration	Turlock	CA
200	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Rolla	MO
201	West Chester University, College of Business and Public Affairs	West Chester	PA
202	University of North Dakota, College of Business and Public Administration	Grand Forks	ND
203	Northern Kentucky University, Haile/US Bank College of Business	Highland Heights	KY
204	Clark University, Graduate School of Management	Worcester	MA
205	Western Kentucky University, Gordon Ford College of Business	Bowling Green	KY
206	Longwood University, College of Business and Economics	Farmville	VA
207	San Diego State University, Fowler College of Business	San Diego	CA
208	Kansas State University, College of Business Administration	Manhattan	KS
209	Illinois Institute of Technology, Stuart School of Business	Chicago	IL
210	Wake Forest University, Schools of Business	Winston-Salem	NC
211	Portland State University, School of Business Administration	Portland	OR
212	North Dakota State University	Fargo	ND
213	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg	Middletown	PA
214	Rutgers University-Camden	Camden	NJ
215	Louisiana Tech University, College of Business	Ruston	LA
216	State University of New York at New Paltz, School of Business	New Paltz	NY
217	University of San Diego, School of Business	San Diego	CA
218	University of Missouri-St Louis, College of Business Administration	St. Louis	MO
219	Monmouth University, Leon Hess Business School	West Long Branch	NJ
220	Boise State University, College of Business and Economics	Boise	ID
221	Northern Illinois University, College of Business	DeKalb	IL
222	The University of Texas of the Permian Basin	Odessa	TX
223	University of Tulsa, Collins College of Business	Tulsa	OK
224	University of Central Arkansas, College of Business Administration	Conway	AR
225	The University of Texas at Tyler, Soules College of Business	Tyler	TX
226	University of Baltimore, Robert G. Merrick School of Business	Baltimore	MD
227	SUNY College at Oswego	Oswego	NY
228	Texas Christian University, Neeley School of Business	Fort Worth	TX
229	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, College of Business Administration	La Crosse	WI
230	University of Denver, Daniels College of Business	Denver	CO
231	California State University-Chico, College of Business	Chico	CA
232	University of Massachusetts-Boston, College of Management	Boston	MA
233	Drake University, College of Business and Public Administration	Des Moines	IA
234	The Citadel, Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business	Charleston	SC
235	Seattle University, Albers School of Business and Economics	Seattle	WA
236	Metropolitan State University of Denver, School of Business	Denver	CO
237	Georgia College & State University, J. Whitney Bunting College of Business	Milledgeville	GA
238	Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business	Pittsburgh	PA
239	University of Tennessee-Martin, College of Business and Global Affairs	Martin	TN
240	Iona College, Hagan School of Business	New Rochelle	NY
241	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, School of Business and Economics	Stevens Point	WI
242	Niagara University, College of Business Administration	Niagara University	NY
243	University of Northern Colorado, Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business	Greeley	CO
244	Michigan Technological University, School of Business and Economics	Houghton	MI
245	Western Connecticut State University, Ancell School of Business	Danbury	CT
246	Menlo College	Atherton	CA
247	Quinnipiac University, School of Business	Hamden	CT
248	University of Louisiana at Monroe, College of Business and Social Sciences	Monroe	LA
249	Butler University, College of Business Administration	Indianapolis	IN
250	Universidad Ana G Mendez – Gurabo	Turabo	PR
251	Adelphi University, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business	Garden City	NY
252	Minnesota State University Moorhead, College of Business and Innovation	Moorhead	MN
253	University of Toledo, College of Business and Innovation	Toledo	OH
254	Washington and Lee University, Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics	Lexington	VA
255	University of West Georgia, Richards College of Business	Carrollton	GA
256	California State University-Fresno, The Craig School of Business	Fresno	CA
257	Sacred Heart University, Jack Welch College of Business	Fairfield	CT
258	Southern Arkansas University, College of Business	Magnolia	AR
259	University of Richmond, Robins School of Business	Richmond	VA
260	Purdue University Northwest, College of Business	Hammond	IN
261	Morgan State University, Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management	Baltimore	MD
262	St Bonaventure University	St. Bonaventure	NY
263	Lamar University, College of Business	Beaumont	TX
264	University of North Carolina at Asheville, Department of Management and Accountancy	Asheville	NC
265	Oklahoma City University, Meinders School of Business	Oklahoma City	OK
266	University of Southern Indiana, Romain College of Business	Evansville	IN
267	Stockton University, School of Business	Galloway	NJ
268	Fairfield University, Charles F. Dolan School of Business	Fairfield	CT
269	State University of New York College at Oneonta, School of Economics and Business	Oneonta	NY
270	Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business	New Orleans	LA
271	Manhattan College, School of Business	Riverdale	NY
272	Brandeis University, International Business School	Waltham	MA
273	Ohio Northern University, College of Business Administration	Ada	OH
274	Indiana State University, Scott College of Business	Terre Haute	IN
275	Valparaiso University, College of Business	Valparaiso	IN
276	Emporia State University, School of Business	Emporia	KS
277	Simmons University, School of Management	Boston	MA
278	University of Dayton, School of Business Administration	Dayton	OH
279	Rockhurst University, Helzberg School of Management	Kansas City	MO
280	Clarkson University, David D. Reh School of Business	Potsdam	NY
281	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania	Shippensburg	PA
282	Tennessee Technological University, College of Business	Cookeville	TN
283	Saint John Fisher College	Rochester	NY
284	Stetson University, School of Business Administration	DeLand	FL
285	St. Mary’s University, Greehey School of Business	San Antonio	TX
286	Loyola University Maryland, Sellinger School of Business and Management	Baltimore	MD
287	Millsaps College, Else School of Management	Jackson	MS
288	Utah Valley University, Woodbury School of Business	Orem	UT
289	Morehead State University, College of Business and Public Affairs	Morehead	KY
290	Pittsburg State University, Gladys A. Kelce College of Business	Pittsburg	KS
291	Gonzaga University, School of Business Administration	Spokane	WA
292	Central Connecticut State University, School of Business	New Britain	CT
293	Marist College, School of Management	Poughkeepsie	NY
294	University of Idaho, College of Business and Economics	Moscow	ID
295	University of Vermont, School of Business Administration	Burlington	VT
296	East Tennessee State University, College of Business and Technology	Johnson City	TN
297	Columbus State University, D. Abbott Turner College of Business	Columbus	GA
298	Berry College, Campbell School of Business	Mount Berry	GA
299	Clayton State University, College of Business	Morrow	GA
300	Midwestern State University, Dillard College of Business Administration	Wichita Falls	TX
301	Indiana University-South Bend, Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics	South Bend	IN
302	Dominican University, Brennan School of Business	River Forest	IL
303	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, College of Business	Oshkosh	WI
304	Saint Cloud State University	Saint Cloud	MN
305	University of Houston-Victoria, School of Business Administration	Victoria	TX
306	Louisiana State University-Shreveport	Shreveport	LA
307	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lally School of Management	Troy	NY
308	University of Hartford, Barney School of Business	West Hartford	CT
309	Canisius College, Richard J. Wehle School of Business	Buffalo	NY
310	University of Mississippi, School of Business Administration	Oxford	MS
311	Washburn University, Washburn School of Business	Topeka	KS
312	Christopher Newport University, Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business	Newport News	VA
313	University of Nevada-Reno, College of Business Administration	Reno	NV
314	Robert Morris University, School of Business	Moon Township	PA
315	Coastal Carolina University, E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration	Conway	SC
316	University of Missouri-Columbia	Columbia	MO
317	Jacksonville University, Davis College of Business	Jacksonville	FL
318	Southern Utah University, School of Business	Cedar City	UT
319	Florida Gulf Coast University, Lutgert College of Business	Fort Myers	FL
320	Roger Williams University, Gabelli School of Business	Bristol	RI
321	Fort Lewis College, School of Business Administration	Durango	CO
322	University of Minnesota-Duluth, Labovitz School of Business and Economics	Duluth	MN
323	Chapman University, The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics	Orange	CA
324	Florida Southern College, Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise	Lakeland	FL
325	SUNY College at Geneseo	Geneseo	NY
326	Radford University, College of Business and Economics	Radford	VA
327	Drury University, Breech School of Business Administration and Economics	Springfield	MO
328	Francis Marion University, School of Business	Florence	SC
329	Saginaw Valley State University, College of Business and Management	University Center	MI
330	Clarion University of Pennsylvania, College of Business Administration and Information Sciences	Clarion	PA
331	Montana State University, College of Business	Bozeman	MT
332	University of Evansville, The Schroeder Family School of Business Administration	Evansville	IN
333	Truman State University, School of Business	Kirksville	MO
334	University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Gary W. Rollins College of Business	Chattanooga	TN
335	Missouri Western State University, Steven L. Craig School of Business	St. Joseph	MO
336	The University of Montana	Missoula	MT
337	Shenandoah University, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business	Winchester	VA
338	Ouachita Baptist University, Frank D. Hickingbotham School of Business	Arkadelphia	AR
339	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	University Park	PA
340	Ithaca College, School of Business	Ithaca	NY
341	University of Wisconsin-Parkside, School of Business and Technology	Kenosha	WI
342	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	Carbondale	IL
343	Lawrence Technological University, College of Management	Southfield	MI
344	Stonehill College, Leo J. Meehan School of Business	Easton	MA
345	Black Hills State University, College of Business and Natural Sciences	Spearfish	SD
346	Prairie View A & M University	Prairie View	TX
347	Providence College, School of Business	Providence	RI
348	Susquehanna University, Sigmund Weis School of Business	Selinsgrove	PA
349	University of South Carolina-Upstate, George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics	Spartanburg	SC
350	Stephen F Austin State University	Nacogdoches	TX
351	Elizabeth City State University, Walter R. Davis School of Business and Economics	Elizabeth City	NC
352	University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Business and Technology	Princess Anne	MD
353	Northern Michigan University, College of Business	Marquette	MI
354	Valdosta State University, Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration	Valdosta	GA
355	Bellarmine University, W. Fielding Rubel School of Business	Louisville	KY
356	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, College of Business	Eau Claire	WI
357	University of Detroit Mercy, College of Business Administration	Detroit	MI
358	Abilene Christian University, College of Business Administration	Abilene	TX
359	North Carolina Central University, School of Business	Durham	NC
360	Bucknell University, College of Management	Lewisburg	PA
361	Arkansas Tech University, College of Business	Russellville	AR
362	McNeese State University, College of Business	Lake Charles	LA
363	Minnesota State University-Mankato	Mankato	MN
364	Northwestern State University of Louisiana, School of Business	Natchitoches	LA
365	Pacific Lutheran University, School of Business	Tacoma	WA
366	Indiana University-Kokomo, School of Business	Kokomo	IN
367	University of Southern Maine, College of Management and Human Service	Portland	ME
368	Virginia State University, Reginald F. Lewis College of Business	Petersburg	VA
369	Alfred University, College of Business	Alfred	NY
370	Sonoma State University, School of Business and Economics	Rohnert Park	CA
371	University of South Carolina-Aiken, School of Business Administration	Aiken	SC
372	Barry University, D. Inez Andreas School of Business	Miami Shores	FL
373	Henderson State University, School of Business	Arkadelphia	AR
374	King’s College, The William G. McGowan School of Business	Wilkes-Barre	PA
375	Saint Xavier University, Graham School of Management	Chicago	IL
376	Governors State University, College of Business	University Park	IL
377	SUNY at Fredonia	Fredonia	NY
378	Grambling State University, College of Business	Grambling	LA
379	Clark Atlanta University, School of Business	Atlanta	GA
380	Texas A & M University-Kingsville, College of Business Administration	Kingsville	TX
381	Queens University of Charlotte, McColl School of Business	Charlotte	NC
382	Norfolk State University, School of Business	Norfolk	VA
383	Southeastern Louisiana University, College of Business	Hammond	LA
384	Indiana University-Northwest, School of Business and Economics	Gary	IN
385	University of Wisconsin-River Falls, College of Business and Economics	River Falls	WI
386	Texas Wesleyan University, School of Business Administration and Professional Programs	Fort Worth	TX
387	Lander University, College of Business	Greenwood	SC
388	Loyola University New Orleans, College of Business	New Orleans	LA
389	Augusta University, James M. Hull College of Business	Augusta	GA
390	Southern University at New Orleans, College of Business and Public Administration	New Orleans	LA
391	University of Maine, The Maine Business School	Orono	ME
392	Kutztown University, College of Business	Kutztown	PA
393	California State University-Bakersfield, School of Business	Bakersfield	CA
394	Dalton State College, School of Business	Dalton	GA
395	University of South Florida-Sarasota-Manatee, College of Business	Sarasota	FL
396	Southern University and A & M College	Baton Rouge	LA
397	Hult International Business School	Cambridge	MA
398	University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, College of Business	Fort Smith	AR
399	Rollins College, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Professional Studies	Winter Park	FL
400	University of Hawaii at Hilo, College of Business and Economics	Hilo	HI
401	Murray State University, The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business	Murray	KY
402	Texas Southern University, Jesse H. Jones School of Business	Houston	TX
403	Georgia Gwinnett College, School of Business	Lawrenceville	GA

What do the best business schools on our list have in common?

Since we used tuition costs as a variable in our ranking, it’s no surprise that the overwhelming majority of schools higher up on the list are public, rather than private schools, as tuition costs of private institutions dwarf those of their public counterparts. In fact, of the top 25 in the list, only two are private schools. While one may consider this an unnecessary slight against some of the most heralded business schools in the nation, the reality is that the vast majority of business school hopefuls cannot afford these schools.

What are the most important factors in choosing a business school?

Obviously, the reputation of a school should be a serious consideration when choosing a school, but beyond that, the location should play into everyone’s minds when they send their application letters. For one, receiving a degree from a school in the proximity of the area that one wishes to establish their career will grant a higher chance of local businesses recognizing the program. What’s more, in-state tuition costs are dramatically lower than tuition for out-of-state students. A quick look at the list shows that this difference is often $10,000 or even $20,000 in some cases. Therefore, unless living in a business desert, it’s best to opt for an in-state school.

Methodology

Three public data sources were used:

• Carnegie classification: The dataset lists 4,322 universities/colleges.
• AACSB: Profiles of 533 AACSB accredited colleges were downloaded from the website of AACSB International using a custom script. Of the 519 universities, 518 were matched with universities in the Carnegie list.
• National Center for Education Statistics: Data sets for each state and every territory were collected. The criterion used: a 4-year degree-granting university that has one or more of the 94 business majors/programs. The resulting list provided 2,022 entries, of these, 1,994 were matched with entries in the Carnegie list.  

After merging the three datasets above, 503 records remained. It was then decided to include the number of programs each AACSB University offers in the Business field. Another script was written to read the 540+ web pages and count the number of programs (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral programs; full time or part time; traditional or online program). A total of 12,570 programs were found among the 443 AACSB colleges. We then selected only those records that had no missing values. We also eliminated schools that did not have data on any of the below variables. The resulting recordset contained 403 universities.  

The resulting list of variables used in our ranking:

1. Business students proportion in student population
2. Graduation rate
3. Student to faculty ratio
4. Tuition – out of state
5. Tuition – in state
6. Number of business programs
7. Enrollment figures

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