2021 Best Business Bachelor's Degree Schools
Today's business students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Business Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 1,877 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for business students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Business Bachelor's Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Cornell University to be the best school for business students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 4,145 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend Cornell, expect to pay an average of $57,222 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $13,345 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Cornell. During the 2017-2018 year, about 1% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3,632 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend UPenn, expect to pay an average of $57,770 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from UPenn accumulate an average of $18,161 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UPenn does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2017-2018.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,642 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
If you want to attend Notre Dame, expect to pay an average of $55,553 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Notre Dame accumulate an average of $17,788 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Notre Dame. In 2017-2018 about 0% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1,379 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend Lehigh, expect to pay an average of $55,240 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Lehigh accumulate an average of $21,151 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Lehigh does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2017-2018 year, about 0% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,169 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
Georgetown does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $56,058. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $15,193 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Georgetown, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2017-2018.
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Emory University landed the #6 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 2,598 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average tuition and fees at Emory is $53,804. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Emory accumulate an average of $19,354 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Emory does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2017-2018 academic year, around 2% took at least some of their classes online.
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Boston College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,062 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average tuition and fees at Boston College is $57,910. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Boston College accumulate an average of $14,960 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Boston College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2017-2018 academic year, around 2% took at least some of their classes online.
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Bentley University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Bentley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Waltham, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,106 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Bentley does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $51,830. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $22,662 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Bentley. In 2017-2018 about 1% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Carnegie Mellon University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1,848 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Carnegie Mellon does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $57,119. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,190 in student loans.
Carnegie Mellon does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2017-2018 academic year, around 7% took at least some of their classes online.
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Villanova University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Villanova, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,240 students in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend Villanova, expect to pay an average of $55,280 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Villanova accumulate an average of $22,914 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Villanova does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2017-2018 about 15% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Washington University in St Louis landed the #11 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,407 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average tuition and fees at WUSTL is $55,292. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $14,970 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at WUSTL. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 3% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2017-2018.
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Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #12 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 434 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Illinois Wesleyan does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $49,488. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Illinois Wesleyan accumulate an average of $24,119 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
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Colorado State University - Global Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Colorado State University - Global Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It awarded 2,061 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Colorado State University - Global Campus does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $8,400. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Colorado State University - Global Campus accumulate an average of $24,536 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, Colorado State University - Global Campus is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
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Wake Forest University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 1,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $55,440 to cover tuition and fees at Wake Forest University. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $18,240 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Wake Forest University does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 1% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2017-2018.
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Washington and Lee University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 564 bachelor’s degree awards in 2018-2019.
The average tuition and fees at Washington and Lee is $54,830. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,718 in student loans.
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University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for business students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,337 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend USC, expect to pay an average of $58,133 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,435 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at USC. During the 2017-2018 year, about 3% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #17 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, the large public school awarded 7,952 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
In-state students pay an average of $10,947 in tuition and fees if they attend IU Bloomington full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $36,512. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from IU Bloomington accumulate an average of $20,258 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
IU Bloomington does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2017-2018 academic year, around 14% took at least some of their classes online.
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Cleary University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for business students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Howell, Michigan, and it awarded 138 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Cleary College does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $20,550. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Cleary College accumulate an average of $25,949 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Cleary College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2017-2018 year, about 42% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide landed the #19 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide is located in Daytona Beach, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,496 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees at Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide is $9,912. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,970 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide does offer online classes in some areas. In 2017-2018 about 97% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Bucknell University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Bucknell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,034 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Bucknell does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $58,196. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $22,528 in loans while pursuing their degree.
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With a ranking of #21, Drake University did quite well on this year’s best schools for business students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 896 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
If you want to attend Drake, expect to pay an average of $42,840 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,841 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Drake. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2017-2018 academic year, around 6% took at least some of their classes online.
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University of Richmond came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,005 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
U of Richmond does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $54,690. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,271 in student loans.
U of Richmond does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2017-2018.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Business Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 5,185 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $9,943 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $23,833. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of $18,696 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 8% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2017-2018.
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Virginia Tech landed the #24 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree business programs. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the large public school handed out 7,156 bachelor’s degree awards in 2018-2019.
In-state students pay an average of $13,691 in tuition and fees if they attend Virginia Tech full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $32,835. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $22,455 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Virginia Tech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 29% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2017-2018.
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With a ranking of #25, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for business students working on their bachelor’s degree. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 8,983 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Students from Illinois who attend UIUC full time pay an average of $17,274 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $36,213. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from UIUC accumulate an average of $20,014 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at UIUC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 35% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2017-2018.
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Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Business Bachelor's Degree Schools in the United States
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Rest of the Top 15% Best Business Bachelor's Degree Schools in the United States
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our best business schools ranking:
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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