Introduction
Have you ever asked yourself what the next idea is that will alter the daily lifestyle of modern day society? If you have these types of thoughts, then you may fancy yourself as an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of this country. They are the reason technology and innovation continue to grow year after year. Entrepreneurial ideas take time and commitment to come up with, and for many people, it isn’t about coming up with the best idea - it’s finding the best environment to foster these ideas.
Colleges are aware of this and offer their own specialized entrepreneurship programs for undergraduates to improve their ideas. If you are interested in this subject, then you may find yourself asking this question: What about an entrepreneurship program qualifies it as the best? A strong course load? Reasonable tuition and fees? Or programs that aim to put students into real world experiences?
At LendEDU, we decided to rank the top 50 colleges in the United States with in terms of support for aspiring entrepreneurs. This study does not necessarily look the school's Entrepreneurship major, rather the opportunities that are available for those interested in entrepreneurship in general.
Schools were ranked based on three criteria:
Number of Entrepreneurship Courses Offered
Average Tuition & Fees
Entrepreneurship Resources Offered
Top 50 Colleges for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
1. University of Utah
Total Score: 36.8
The University of Utah, and its Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, takes the top spot in our report. The university offers around 40 courses specifically-related to entrepreneurship along with below average tuition and fees of $12,222. Students have a chance to compete in the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, which is a statewide competition focused on student business-models. Cash prizes total over $100,000 to the selected winners. The grand prize is $40,000 while other awards are offered to teams who lead in subcategories. Possibly the most important program offered through the university is the Company Launch program. Here students will have an excess of resources available to them such as office space, a business mentor, legal services and more.
2. The University of Iowa
Total Score: 34.7
The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial comes in at second on our list. With 40 courses offered and an average tuition and fees of $15,380, The University of Iowa provides its students with a variety of options for their course load for a below average cost. The university holds the Rose Francis Elevator Pitch Competition once every year and it encourages any student enrolled to consider applying to compete. There is a total of $20,000 in cash prizes awarded at the completion of the event, but more importantly, students can enter the competition feeling unsure of their idea, but by the end realize that it could be something big.
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Total Score: 32.95
The Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship offers plenty of courses to choose from relating to entrepreneurship. With an average tuition and fees of $19,481, Georgia Institute of Technology sits comfortably below the $31,153 average for schools reviewed in this report. The Georgia Institute of Technology offers its students access to the Leadership Roundtable. Students are invited to events that aim to enhance their understanding of leadership and organizational values. The lessons learned here are critical for a student who is looking to one day run his or her own business.
4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Total Score: 32.75
The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies offers 20 courses relating to entrepreneurship. Students have access to the Ann Arbor SPARK Entrepreneur Boot Camp as well as the Accelerate Michigan Competition amongst other programs. The combination of these excellent programs with the quantity of courses offered was enough to boost University of Michigan into the top 5 of our ranking. The University of Michigan is number one in research and development spending amongst public universities, which shows their dedication to the future of their students.
5. University of California, Los Angeles
Total Score: 32.6
At the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the low average tuition and fees of $15,846 will gain the attention of anyone looking for a well know college, such as University of California, Los Angeles. If that doesn’t already have you interested, then maybe the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator or Knapp Venture Competition will draw you in. These are some of the offerings by the program, and they are sure to enhance a student’s preparation for running their own business. The university offers it students 12 courses related to entrepreneurship as well.
6. University of Delaware
Total Score: 32.45
The Horn Program at the University of Delaware has been growing consistently over the last few years. Offering around 30 entrepreneurship related courses, students can choose between a variety of courses allowing for leniency in their curriculum. The average tuition and fees is a below-average $24,676, which makes attending the university more affordable than most. Students may also partake in the Hen Hatch Competition where prizes total $100,000.
7. Babson College
Total Score: 32.25
The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship offers 23 courses related to entrepreneurship. Babson has a history of consistently representing the top of entrepreneurship rankings. Babson had the highest score relative to programs offered, which makes them one of the more intriguing colleges to consider when deciding where a student should attend. The Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program are two of the best in the country and prepare students for their future above and beyond expectations.
8. University of South Carolina
Total Score: 31.9
The University of South Carolina’s entrepreneurship center is The Faber Entrepreneurship Center. Tuition and fees is $19,431 with 10 courses offered to students. Programs offered consist of CoLAB, LaunchPad, and Business Incubation, which are provided to turn ideas into businesses. While the offered courses are not very large, the courses that are offered are filled with meaningful material that is used to correlate into real experiences.
9. University of Texas, Austin
Total Score: 31.8
The Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, Growth, and Renewal offers 16 courses to students interested in entrepreneurship. One of the programs offered is the Austin Technology Incubator. Here students can earn funding from angel investors. The program is very selective and only accepts 8-10% of 1,000 applicants. Also offered is the Longhorn Startup Seminar, which is a lecture-based course based around entrepreneurs telling their success stories to students. The average tuition and fees at the university is $11,050, which is significantly lower than the average.
10. Arizona State University
Total Score: 31.65
The Center for Entrepreneurship offers 15 courses for those interested in creating their own company. To ensure students are reaching their goals, Arizona State University offers multiple programs to help student-led companies progress in their journeys. The Arizona Collegiate Venture Competition is a competition for seed funding and mentorship, and it features the Startup Territorial Cup. The competition takes place between all Arizona Universities increasing the overall pool of competition. Also offered is the ASU Startup Accelerator, which assists community-based entrepreneurs in getting their companies started. The average tuition and fees is $14,395.
11. University of Maryland
Total Score: 31.3
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship offers 32 courses for entrepreneurship. The average tuition and fees comes out to $14,772, which gives the university a step up from more than half of the other colleges reviewed. One of the most interesting programs offered by the University of Maryland is Terp Tank. This is replicated after the TV show “Shark Tank”, where entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to investors in a hope to receive an investment.
12. University of Virginia
Total Score: 30.95
The Galant Center for Entrepreneurship offers 11 courses for its students. With a tuition and fees cost of $24,026, the university finds itself below the average cost. The Venture Capital Bootcamp they offer is a three-day workshop for students who are interested in entrepreneurship careers. The program focuses on early-stage investing. Another program is the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup. The program is divided into three stages, the Concept Stage, the Discovery Stage, and the Launch Stage. Each stage consists of funding prizes for the winners.
13. University of California, Berkeley
Total Score: 30.85
The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship offers 6 courses. This is one of the smaller course loads offered by colleges on this list, but the University of California, Berkeley received high scores within the tuition and fees category and the offered programs category. With an average tuition and fees of $17,511, the university finds its cost just over half of the average report cost. The UC Berkeley’s Launch program is an elite startup accelerator and competition provided to transform ideas into fundable companies. With over $90,000 awarded in prizes last year, students look forward to performing at a high level at this competition, because it could very well be the first step in creating the next big company.
14. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Total Score: 30.85
The Kenan-Flagler Center for Entrepreneurial Studies offers 14 courses. With an average tuition and fees cost of $14,244, the University of North Carolina is well below half of the average tuition and fees for all the colleges in this report. The University of North Carolina has a couple programs that it offers to its students, but one that has been growing since its introduction has been the Carolina Challenge. This program is a venture competition that gives students the ability to win seed funding from around $50,000 in total prize money. One of the most interesting aspects of the challenge is that it welcomes an extremely diverse group of entrepreneurs throughout the university.
15. Texas A&M University, College Station
Total Score: 30.8
The Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship offers 16 courses to its undergraduate students. With an average tuition and fees cost of $10,837, there are not many colleges that will offer a lower cost. The Raymond Ideas Challenge is the biggest campus-wide competition offered for students to come up with the next big product or service. The program offers real-world experience and networking opportunities. The winners of the competition are awarded money from sponsors of the competition.
16. Temple University
Total Score: 30.05
The Fox Entrepreneurship Program offers 14 courses. Average tuition and fees comes out to $18,253, which ranks on the higher end of the rankings. A top program offered at Temple University is the Be Your Own Boss Bowl. This is an innovative business plan competition for students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Prizes in the competition total $200,000 in cash, professional services, and admission to their IEI accelerator.
17. Middle Tennessee State University
Total Score: 29.55
The Small Business Development Center offers 13 courses to its students. The university offers a Business Plan Competition as well as an Entrepreneurship Intern program. The Business Plan Competition contains multiple steps beginning with the screening round, followed by the trade show/elevator round, and finished off with the final presentation round. After these rounds are completed there are four winners ranked from first to fourth who receive a prize based on their placement. Average tuition and fees is very low at $9,472.
18. Kennesaw State University
Total Score: 29.25
The Short Entrepreneurship Center offers 7 courses to its undergraduate students. With average tuition and fees coming out to $9,218, Kennesaw State University received a big bump in the rankings. The KSU Top 100, which is a combination of “Shark Tank” and “The Voice” as stated on the school’s website, is a competition between mentors and students who are teamed together to compete for a $100,000 investment and business services grand prize. Student entrepreneurs who clearly outshine others can be chosen as an entrepreneurship fellow and be recognized as the “best of the best.”
19. University of Washington
Total Score: 29.2
The Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship offers 9 courses to its students. Average tuition and fees cost sits just below the average with $30,756. The University of Washington helps its students’ progress their student-led companies by offering them mentoring from a committee of entrepreneurs, office space in the Herbold Innovation Lab, access to up to $1,000 per team for expenses, and if set milestones are met then students can receive up to $25,000 more in funding through the Jones + Foster Accelerator Program. Through all its offered programs, the university has around $200,000 in funding for student startups.
20. City University of New York, Baruch College
Total Score: 28.8
The Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship is one of the best in the country. There are 18 courses offered related to entrepreneurship through the university. Offering students access to The Field Fellowship Program, which is an internship program allowing students to get live experience, students enrolled here can graduate knowing they are prepared for the hands-on experience ahead. The average tuition and fees for attending the university are unmatched at an extremely low price of $7,175.
21. Central Michigan University
Total Score: 28.7
The Isabella Bank Institute of Entrepreneurship offers 17 courses to its students. Central Michigan University has a New Venture Competition with over $80,000 in cash awarded. The competition has produced more than fifteen businesses that are currently in operation. Another offered program at the university is Make-a-Pitch. Here all students can partake and pitch their business as if they were on “Shark Tank.” The top three ideas win cash prizes as well as the opportunity to network their idea to potential investors. With an average tuition and fees of $12,670, the university is certainly an attractive option for future entrepreneurs.
22. Saint Louis University
Total Score: 28.6
The Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University offers 12 courses. Average tuition and fees is the second highest to this point at $40,726, but if this falls in your price range, then this may be the program for you. The Pure Idea Generator Challenge is one of a kind in terms of offered entrepreneurship programs to students. Candidates come up with a solution to a created question and submit it to the program, where they wait for the top 24 to be chosen for the final round. Those chosen will be invited to the city museum’s rooftop ferris wheel where they will go on a 30-minute ride and try and come up with a solution to a new question provided to them. At the completion of the ride, candidates are then told to pitch their new solution to some of the biggest names in the Saint Louis entrepreneurship ecosystem. The top three solutions win cash prizes and the top solution will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization National Conference in Kansas City.
23. Pennsylvania State University
Total Score: 28.5
The Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers 14 courses to its undergraduate students. The average tuition and fees is $22,389, which falls below the reports average of $31,153. Offered at Pennsylvania State University is Happy Valley LaunchBox, which is a no-cost business accelerator program offered to the community, students, faculty, and staff. It is designed to provide early-stage startups with resources and support needed to help build a business, with an eye towards growth. Within the accelerator itself members have access to 24/7 co-working space, 10-week boot camp, co-located professional clinics, and a network of experts and mentors.
24. Syracuse University
Total Score: 28.2
The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship offers its students 15 courses. The average tuition and fees is $45,022. Syracuse University has some of the best programs offered to its students. One of them is the Couri Hatchery Student Business Incubator. This is a student-centered mentorship program that helps student ventures at all levels of their development and growth. The incubator provides services including on-campus office space, support, product realization and development services, and business consultation from mentors and alumni entrepreneurs. A key take away is the real-world experience that students will receive.
25. University of Pennsylvania
Total Score: 28.1
The Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Research Center offers 22 courses. The average tuition and fees comes out to $51,464, which would be one of the higher in the study. The university offers multiple campus competitions, one of which is the Startup Challenge. The winners of these competitions will be invited to take part in the Startup Showcase. Once a year this program is held where the top student entrepreneurs throughout the university get to pitch their startup to alumni and compete for funding and services to assist them in their growth.
26. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Total Score: 27.6
The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship offers 20 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees will cost $48,452. Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides its students with the MIT Delta V Accelerator. This program is an educational accelerator for student entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth in building sustainable ventures. Only the best teams are taken into the program based on their idea or proof of concept. 17 Teams worked at the center this past summer.
27. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Total Score: 27.55
The Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship offers 10 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $16,848, which is just about half of the average of all the colleges reviewed. Available to students at the University of Minnesota is the MN Cup, which is the largest statewide startup competition in the United States. The contestants of the competition will be competing for $402,000 in available seed money, mentorship opportunities with industry leaders, business plan feedback, and networking opportunities with potential investors. Since its creation the competition has supported over 11,000 Minnesota based entrepreneurs.
28. Lehigh University
Total Score: 27.4
The Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity, and Innovation offers 21 courses. The average tuition and fees is $48,320, but costs will certainly not outweigh the values taught here. One of the programs offered to students is the LaunchBayC program, where, if accepted, students take part of a competitive 10-week summer program. The opportunity to work within a culture of creativity and innovation provided through this program is unlike any other in the Baker Institute. In terms of hands-on entrepreneurship experiences, Lehigh is one of the best in the country.
29. New York University
Total Score: 27.2
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center offers 11 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $49,062. New York University offers some beneficial programs for its students. One of these is the Innovation Venture Fund. The goal is to invest in startups founded by current NYU students, faculty, and researchers who have developed the whole or part of their startup at NYU. They must have achieved proof of concept and currently be ready for commercial development to receive funding. Each year the fund makes around five to six investments. The university also offers competitions for students to win cash prizes.
30. Belmont University
Total Score: 27.05
The Center for Entrepreneurship offers 11 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $30,760, which is right about the average cost calculated off this report. Belmont University has programs in place to help students step by step through the creation of their business. Two of their programs are The Hatchery and The Accelerator. The Hatchery is offered for those that are interested in starting a business or are in the early stages of doing so. Here students can receive basic business infrastructure while preparing for collaborative opportunities. Once these steps are reached students can take advantage of The Accelerator. This is where students go when they are launching or running a business. The program will offer office space, consistent time with mentor Shawn Glinter, and resources to grow the business.
31. University of Oklahoma
Total Score: 27
The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Oklahoma offers 21 courses to its students. Students are encouraged to take part in the First Fidelity Bank Integrated Business Core program, where they can receive hands-on, real-world training. This program develops the skills necessary for starting a business. All profits from the program are donated to local non-profit charities. Companies formed through here have donated over $1.3 million since it started in 1995. The average tuition and fees is $15,607, falling way below the average cost.
32. Texas Christian University
Total Score: 26.95
The Neeley Entrepreneurship Center offers 7 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees ends up being $42,670. Once each year the university holds the TCU Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Competition, which is a place for undergraduates around the world to pitch business plans, products, or services that will benefit a specific population or environment. The competition gave out a total of $62,850 in prizes to candidates last year alone. The school also offers a chance to receive more funding or guidance through the Shaddock Venture Capital Fund. Students can receive up to $10,000 to get their project going without having to give up any equity.
33. George Washington University
Total Score: 26.95
The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers students 23 courses. The average tuition and fees for the university is $51,950. The George Washington University’s New Venture Competition is one of the top 5 competitions in the country. The competition consists of three steps. First, a candidate must register and submit an executive summary and business summary. Second, they must write a detailed plan. Lastly, they are required to deliver an oral presentation. The top four presentations are awarded $5,000 each for reaching the final round and then the top three are given $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively at the end of the competition.
34. Duke University
Total Score: 26.9
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative offers 15 courses to its students. Students have access to the Duke Angel Network, which is a program that looks to partner companies with Duke alumni interested in investing in a startup. The group of investors target companies that have the potential for significant growth as well as a strong financial return. Another option for students is The Startup Factory. Here students go through a three-month program for companies in their early stages. The program offers seed capital, hands-on mentorship, and access to a larger offering of mentors. The average tuition and fees is $49,575.
35. University of Southern California
Total Score: 26.85
The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies offers students 16 courses with an average tuition and fees of $52,283. Students at the University of Southern California have the opportunity to earn cash prizes for their businesses by competing in the Grief New Venture Seed Competition. Prize totals from last year came out to $50,000. Candidates will also receive free legal and business services from supporting organizations.
36. University of Houston
Total Score: 26.1
The Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship offers 7 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $11,004, which is around a third of the average cost. The university has a group of mentors who offer their time to help student entrepreneurs who need guidance or any other advice. There are multiple types of mentors as well, such as personal mentors, roundtable mentors, investor mentors, and skill mentors among others.
37. Carnegie Mellon University
Total Score: 26.05
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship offers students 15 courses. The average tuition and fees is above average at $52,310. A new program introduced this year is the McGinnis Venture Competition. It is solely available for student entrepreneurs who will compete for $60,000 in investments. Though not everyone will win cash prizes, all participants will interact with alumni entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Theses interactions will lead to the possibility of raising capital as well as receiving feedback from these alumni. The competition consists of three rounds, with the final round being a live round at the university.
38. University of Dayton
Total Score: 25.9
The L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership offers 18 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $40,940, which is about $10,000 more than the average. Students can apply to the Flyer Pitch: A New Venture Creation Competition to compete for a total cash prize offering of $45,000. The University of Dayton also has a Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization Club that meets five times a year. The club hosts visiting entrepreneurs to talk about start-up and development issues. The members also visit the local incubator as well as visits to local entrepreneurial companies.
39. Miami University, Ohio
Total Score: 25.65
The Institute for Entrepreneurship offers 24 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $20,171. To offer students hands-on experience, the university offers The Altman Summer Internship program. Students will work full-time and earn 3 hours of credit. Similarly, there is The Joint Accountancy and Entrepreneurship Winter Term Study Abroad program. Here students get the opportunity to take what they have learned from their courses and apply this knowledge to a project in a developing country.
40. University of Florida
Total Score: 25.3
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center at the University of Florida offers its students 5 courses. Much lower than most other programs, but the average tuition and fees is $7,495 which is one of the lowest reviewed. Two helpful programs for entrepreneurship students offered at the University of Florida are GatorNest and Gator Hatchery. The GatorNest is a real-world consulting experience that allows students to work within real companies. Students will also receive credits towards their education through this program. The Gator Hatchery program is a student incubator offering workspace, office support, and mentors. These resources are provided to help students grow their startups quicker and more efficiently.
41. DePaul University
Total Score: 25.25
The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center offers 13 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $37,701, just over the average cost. As a member of the Depaul community, you have the opportunity to pitch your business idea at Launch Depaul. By partaking in the program contestants who are judged to be winners will receive cash prizes to advance their idea into potential future companies. To go with the competition, the university will be hosting workshops to offer guidance to participants prior to the submission deadline. The teams must consist of at least two, but no more than six members.
42. University of Colorado, Boulder
Total Score: 25.15
The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship offers its students 8 courses. The University of Colorado has a program in place called Spark Boulder, which helps aspiring entrepreneurs grow their businesses through work space, professional development, startup incubation, and networking with the community. There have been over 35 companies established through the program to date. The average tuition and fees is reported at a below average cost of $20,950.
43. Boston College
Total Score: 24.95
The Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship offers 14 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $51,296. The center recently was chosen to be the academic partner for the Forbes $1 Million Global Change the World pitch competitions which are part of the Forbes Under 30 Summit. One of the events will consist of a $500,000 global early-stage for-profit competition that will look for entrepreneurs with potential to change the world. Another competition will be held for U.S.-based social entrepreneurs who look to improve low-income and urban communities. The prizes in this competition will also consist of $500,000.
44. Ohio State University
Total Score: 24.75
The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers 8 courses. The average tuition and fees is very low at $13,130. One of the programs offered to students attending Ohio State University is the BOSS program. This is a semester-long competition where participants will work closely with Costart and staff members to reach new heights with their startup. Five teams will be chosen to move on to the final, while two teams will be considered winners at the end. These two teams will work with committed Technology Commercialization Office staff to launch the startup.
45. University of Arizona
Total Score: 24.65
The McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship offers 21 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is almost half of the average at $17,800. All seniors in the Eller College of Management are required to take an Entrepreneurship Capstone course, which ends up putting students into teams where they will create and develop an idea into a viable business opportunity. By the end of the semester, teams should have a completed business plan that will be presented to their respective sections, but the winners of these pitches will compete in the final competition to determine the semester winner.
46. Seton Hall University
Total Score: 24.4
The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies offers its students 5 courses. The average tuition and fees is $39,258. One of Seton Hall’s most popular programs is the Pirates Pitch. If you have an idea for a business or you are already operating your own business, the Pirates Pitch program will welcome you. Students will compete for $10,000 in prizes and business services. If you don’t win the competition you still have the opportunity to win the audiences vote and receive a $500 prize. The program is open to all students enrolled within the university.
47. Loyola Marymount University
Total Score: 24.15
The Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship offers 10 courses along with an above average tuition and fees of $44,480. Open to all students regardless of major is the New Idea Pitch Competition. Here the program encourages students to put their ideas on paper and present them for a chance to win cash prizes. Separate from this competition the center has put together a Dinner with a Winner program where highly-motivated entrepreneurs can interact with successful entrepreneurs. Students are allowed to freely ask questions about the entrepreneur’s success and failures to prepare for their own journeys.
48. Suffolk University
Total Score: 23.45
The Center for Entrepreneurship offers 20 courses. The average tuition and fees is just barely over the average of $31,153 at $35,578. Students at Suffolk University have access to one of the more unique courses offered in the country. Crowdfunding the Startup is a course where students will create a business plan for their companies and launch a fundraising campaign to support their early-stage expenses. Students are offered multiple guidance options, but ultimately the school encourages students to take control of this critical time for their company so that in the future they can trust their own instincts.
49. John Hopkins University
Total Score: 23.33
The Center for Leadership Education offers 7 courses to its students. The average tuition and fees is $50,910. The university has available multiple competitions for its students, such as the John Hopkins University Business Plan Competition and the Consulting Club Case Competition. The competitions encourage students to take the first steps in creating their own companies by giving them a reason to follow their ideas. At the completion students can understand where they are relative to their colleagues, and what they can do better for the future.
50. Baylor University
Total Score: 23.25
The John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise offers 14 courses. The university has in place a Mentor program, where students who are looking to build their own companies can meet with experienced entrepreneurs. Students will receive academic, business, networking, and leadership advice from individuals who have gone through this path before. The program is open to all entrepreneurship students. The average tuition and fees is $42,546.
Methodology
This report was created based off the evaluation of over 100 colleges offering entrepreneurship courses for undergraduates. Several metrics were used to determine the overall score of each entrepreneurship center or institute. The metrics included number of entrepreneurship courses offered, average tuition and fees, and the entrepreneurship resources offered. Each metric was assigned a maximum score and evaluated on an individual basis. Each individual metric score was then summed together for each respective college and entrepreneurship program. These final scores determined the overall rankings presented in this study.
1. Number of Entrepreneurship Courses Offered (15 Points Max): To find the number of entrepreneurship-related courses for each school, we visited each school’s website and researched the total number of courses offered that were specifically related to entrepreneurship. Basic required courses such as standard calculus or English requirements were ignored. Once this information was collected, we plotted each school’s number of entrepreneurship classes together in a scatter plot. Based on the results we decided the schools would be given a score between 0-50, where each course would equate to one point. The final score was determined by multiplying each school’s assigned score by its metric weight (.3).
2. Average Tuition and Fees (10 Points Max): The next category that was evaluated was the average tuition and fees of the college or university. The information was collected from CollegeXpress. The site has four factors that we used to determine the average tuition and fees for a student enrolled in the university. These factors were in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition, percent of in-state students, and percent of out-of-state students. To get the average itself, we multiplied the in-state tuition by the percentage of in-state students and then multiplied the out-of-state tuition by the percentage of out-of-state students and added these two numbers to get our average tuition and fees. Next, we gave each school a score between 0-50 based off the difference of the tuition and fees for that specific school and the average of $31,153 for the whole report. The score began at 25 and for every $1,000 above the average the schools would lose 1 point, and vice versa if a school had less than the average. The final score was determined by multiplying each school’s assigned score by its metric weight (.2).
3. Entrepreneurship Resources Offered (25 Points Max): This category was less dependent on numerical data. The score given was based off the quality the resources provided, and the success that previous entrepreneurship graduates had shown with their businesses out of college. Each school receiv