The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, including its Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, is one of the best places in the country for students who want to launch their own businesses, according to The Princeton Review. In a new survey, the Eccles School ranked No. 15 for graduate and No. 18 for undergraduate education on The Princeton Review’s lists of the top 25 schools for entrepreneurship studies for 2017.
The Eccles School improved its rankings from last year, when it was ranked No. 17 for graduate and No. 24 for undergraduate education. The improvement reflects continued growth in entrepreneurship programs and offerings.
“We have made a major expansion of our entrepreneur program and continue to grow, and these rankings demonstrate the progress we are making,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Institute and an assistant dean at the David Eccles School of Business. “We are proud to be consistently ranked as one of the best institutions in the country to study entrepreneurship. We are working to continually improve and attract more students to our growing program.”
Improvements at the Eccles School include the new $45 million Lassonde Studios. The one-of-a-kind building is the new home for student entrepreneurs and innovators. It combines a 20,000-square-foot creative space on the main floor, which is open to all students on campus, with 400 student residences on the four upper floors. All students are welcome to apply to live at Lassonde Studios.
Other improvements include additional academic and extracurricular programs. The University of Utah offers degrees and certificates in entrepreneurship as well as many workshops, grant programs and competitions to support students who want to start a company or have product ideas. Many of the programs are free and open to all students on campus, providing hands-on entrepreneurship experience.
The Princeton Review tallied its lists of top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate schools based on a survey it conducted from May 2016 through August 2016 of more than 300 schools offering programs in entrepreneurship studies. The 60-question survey looked at each school’s commitment to entrepreneurship education inside and outside the classroom. More than 3 dozen data points were analyzed for the rankings. Among them were the percentage of faculty, students and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number and reach of mentorship programs, and funding for scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies and projects.
Information about The Princeton Review’s survey methodology and criteria for the rankings, plus its detailed profiles of the schools are available online at princetonreview.com/entrepreneur.
The Princeton Review has reported its lists of top schools for entrepreneurship programs annually since 2006 in partnership with Entrepreneur Media Inc., publisher of Entrepreneur magazine. Entrepreneur will carry a feature article on the lists in its December issue, available on newsstands Nov. 21. The feature will also post at entrepreneur.com/topcolleges.
“These colleges and business schools have superb entrepreneurship programs,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior VP-publisher. “We highly recommend them to any applicant aspiring to launch a business. Their faculties are truly engaged in entrepreneurism. Their courses are rich with in-class and out-of-class experiential components, and the financial and networking support their students and programs receive via donors and alumni is extraordinary.”
“We’re honored to join Princeton Review in spotlighting these schools for their role in cultivating entrepreneurship,” said Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “It’s exciting that schools across the country are embracing entrepreneurism, exploring and developing new ways to promote it, and preparing their students for an ever-changing economy that’s full of opportunities. And it’ll be even more exciting to see what these students do next.”
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
- 2017 (ranking year, released the year before) – Ranked 15 graduate, 18 undergraduate
- 2016 – Ranked 17 graduate, 24 undergraduate
- 2015 – Ranked 23 graduate
- 2014 – Ranked 23 graduate
- 2013 – Ranked 15 graduate, 17 undergraduate
- 2012 – Ranked 16 undergraduate
About the David Eccles School of Business
Founded in 1917 and educating more than 4,500 students annually, the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah offers eight undergraduate majors, four MBAs, five other graduate programs, a Ph.D. program and executive education curricula. The Eccles School is also home to eight institutes and centers that deliver academic research and support an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. It is consistently one of the top schools in the nation for startup businesses based on university research. Experiential learning is central to the Eccles experience. 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 $45 million innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at Lassonde.Utah.edu.
