The University of Utah jumped six places to be ranked No. 9 for undergrad entrepreneur studies among all schools in the country in the latest survey released by The Princeton Review today. The U also improved four places in the survey to be ranked No. 19 for graduate entrepreneur studies.
Entrepreneur programs at the U are provided by the David Eccles School of Business and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The institute is an interdisciplinary division of the business school that offers many programs for all students on campus at Lassonde Studios, which is a five-story building dedicated to student entrepreneurship that has received worldwide attention.
The survey marks the eighth straight year the U has been ranked among the top 25 schools in the country for entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review. The survey also follows the U receiving two other top 10 rankings for entrepreneurship. Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked the U No. 8 for undergrad entrepreneurship among state schools for 2019, and Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the U’s full-time MBA program No. 2 in the country for entrepreneurship in 2018.
“Many years of hard work are paying off as we are receiving more recognition as one of the top 10 schools for entrepreneurship in the country,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the U’s Eccles School. “We have a rich history of entrepreneurship at the David Eccles School of Business. All of our students have the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial values, such as grit, self-reliance and determination. No other university provides the same variety and depth of opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs as we do at the University of Utah.”
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute provides many experiential learning opportunities to all students on campus. Those opportunities include workshops, pitch events, makerspace, grants, offices, networking, scholarships and living options for 400 students at Lassonde Studios.
Programs provided by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute are held at Lassonde Studios since it opened in 2016. The building has received international attention from The New York Times, Business Insider, Fast Company and other publications. Architectural Digest named Lassonde Studios one of the “nine best new university buildings around the world.” The first floor of Lassonde Studios is open to all students at the University of Utah, while all students can also apply to be one of the 400 residents living on four upper floors.
Troy D’Ambrosio, the executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the David Eccles School of Business, managed the construction and opening of Lassonde Studios. He has also been with the institute since it started as one program in 2001.
“We have grown to become one of the best schools in the country to study entrepreneurship, and it has been possible because of our incredible students, support from across campus and the vision of our founder Pierre Lassonde,” D’Ambrosio said. “Our mission is to give students a transformative experience through entrepreneurship by helping them start a company, join a team and learn by doing. We now have the resources to provide all students on campus with this opportunity.”
The David Eccles School of Business provides numerous academic opportunities for students interested in entrepreneurship through the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy. Options include a major and minor, an interdisciplinary certificate for non-business majors and an MBA with an emphasis in entrepreneurship.
“We continue to expand and develop our academic opportunities for all students, regardless of their majors,” said Todd Zenger, chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. “We are preparing students to launch their own startups, join someone else’s or become innovative team members at established companies.”
The full Princeton Review rankings can be viewed at princetonreview.com/best-business-schools with the methodology for the survey, criteria for the rankings and detailed profiles of the schools. The results can also be found at entrepreneur.com/topcolleges and will be published in the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine, available on newsstands Nov. 27.
The Princeton Review tallied its 2019 lists based on surveys it conducted from July through August 2018 of administrators at more than 300 schools offering entrepreneurship studies. The 60-question survey covered the school’s commitment to entrepreneurship studies inside and outside the classroom. Topics included: 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. In all, more than 40 data points were analyzed in the ranking list tallies.
“These colleges and business schools have truly superb entrepreneurship programs,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “Their faculties are genuinely engaged in entrepreneurism. Their courses are rich with in-class and out-of-class experiential components, and the financial and networking support their students receive via donors and alumni is extraordinary.”
This is the 13th year that Entrepreneur has partnered with The Princeton Review to publish this list.
Learn more about entrepreneurship at the University of Utah by visiting the Lassonde Institute website at lassonde.utah.edu. Learn more about the David Eccles School of Business at eccles.utah.edu.
Annual Princeton Review Rankings for the University of Utah
- 2019 (ranking year, released the year before) – Ranked 9 undergraduate, 19 graduate
- 2018 – Ranked 15 undergraduate, 23 graduate
- 2017 – Ranked 18 undergraduate, 15 graduate
- 2016 – Ranked 24 undergraduate, 17 graduate
- 2015 – Ranked 23 graduate
- 2014 – Ranked 23 graduate
- 2013 – Ranked 17 undergraduate, 15 graduate
- 2012 – Ranked 16 undergraduate
About the David Eccles School of Business
The Eccles School is synonymous with ‘doing.’ The Eccles experience provides a world-class business education with a unique, entrepreneurial focus on real-world scenarios where students put what they learn into practice long before graduation. Founded in 1917 and educating more than 6,000 students annually, the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business offers nine undergraduate majors, four MBAs, eight other graduate programs, a Ph.D. in seven areas and executive education curricula. The School is also home to 12 institutes, centers and initiatives that deliver academic research and support an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. For more information, visit eccles.utah.edu or call 801-581-7676.
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a new five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
