If you already know you want to start a business, where you go to college really matters — especially if you want to build a big business with investors, dozens or even hundreds of employees, and a big fancy office with a big fancy chair. Even if you aren’t eyeing that comfy chair behind a big desk, if you want to start a business in the next few years you should plan to build up your entrepreneurial credentials while pursuing your undergrad.
Sometimes that means majoring or minoring in entrepreneurship or business, but that’s not always the case. Below we’ve listed our top ten colleges for students who want to start a business. You’ll notice that some offer entrepreneurship-focused majors, some offer minors, and some have amazing not degree-granting programs including non-credit courses, incubators, accelerators, and more. As a team of entrepreneurs, we know to look for a combination of academics, geographic location, student and faculty community, and a track record in supporting student entrepreneurs.
If you’re hungry to start a business but aren’t sure what college will get you there, send us an email. We help students chart a course to a successful future.
University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Penn is the only Ivy League school that offers a business degree at the undergraduate level. The Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Wharton is a global leader in business education — and not just at the undergraduate level. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation program is designed to “prepare students for careers as autonomous entrepreneurs, family-business entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurs in corporate settings.” We love this program because it is both educationally impressive and full of students who are wired like you.
Stanford University — Stanford, California
While Stanford doesn’t offer a major in Entrepreneurship, the variety of support and education opportunities they offer for student entrepreneurs has led to them being a hub for innovation and business. The Stanford Engineering Entrepreneurship Center has Fellows and Leaders programs that offer intensive entrepreneurship training and immersion, and the Stanford Entrepreneurship Network is a community of student groups and programs the build entrepreneurship and supports entrepreneurs on campus. Students can also take courses like “Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions” and “Accounting for Managers and Entrepreneurs” through the Management Science & Engineering program.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, Massachusetts
MIT offers a Bachelor of Science degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in Business Analytics, Finance, and Management, which is ideal for students who are technical and money-minded and want to start a business. Through the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, students can access “a rigorous, practical, customized, and integrated educational experience” and 60+ courses including “Innovation and Commercialization” and “Product Design and Development.”
Columbia University — New York, New York
Columbia College and Columbia Business School, the graduate business education program at Columbia, offer a joint undergraduate concentration through the Mendelson Center for Undergraduate Business Initiatives. The program is finance and economics heavy and needs to be layered with another major. Students also need to apply to the program after they’ve started at Columbia, and acceptance isn’t guaranteed. One of the reasons Columbia is such a great resource for students who want to start businesses, however, is actually Columbia General Studies. Columbia General Studies is the university’s school for nontraditional students, and it attracted founders, executives, and even Olympic athletes. If you want to be sitting next to a multi-millionaire or gold medal winner in your English class, Columbia is the place to be.
University of California - Berkeley — Berkeley, California
Berkeley has multiple avenues for entrepreneurs, and all of them are impressive. The Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship program offers a BS in Business Administration, a Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Program, and even a Global Management Program for students interested in business from a global perspective. The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology in the College of Engineering offers a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Technology alongside bootcamps, challenge labs, and wild courses like “Deplastify the Planet: How to Master the Sustainable Transition.” If neither of those fit the bill, check out the Berkeley Innovation & Entrepreneurship program.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering at UMich supports students interested in business with courses on finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship all the way to launching their own companies. The Entrepreneurship minor at UMich is an intensive minor for students from any background or area of study with courses like “Entrepreneurial Creativity” and “Graphic Design for Non-Majors,” the latter of which is absurdly helpful when you’re first starting out.
University of Texas, Austin — Austin, Texas
Austin is a breeding ground for up-and-coming businesses, and UT Austin offers a multitude of opportunities for students interested in starting a business. You could join the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, take part in the Austin Technology Incubator, attend an event at the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, and dive into the offerings at the Office of Technology Commercialization. The Entrepreneurship Minor in the McCombs School of Business has over 750 students from over 150 majors.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
UNC-Chapel Hill supports student entrepreneurs through academic offerings, events, community, and even access to funding. The Adams Apprenticeship Program connects students with funders, founders, and executives. The Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship offers business courses and an internship program, all building up to a minor in Entrepreneurship. Once students are ready to launch, the Innovate Carolina program supports students in bringing ideas into the world, connecting students with mentors, educational programs, and even investors through their startup accelerators.
Boston College — Boston, Massachusetts
The Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Boston College offers a variety of opportunities for entrepreneurship-minded students including a nine-week accelerator, a TechTrek professional development course, an internship program, and an Entrepreneurship Co-Concentration. The Co-Concentration is a second concentration in the Carrol School of Management and is for students who are also concentrating in something like Finance, General Management, or Marketing.
Loyola Marymount University — Los Angeles, California
Loyola Marymount was one of the first universities in the US to offer an Entrepreneurship major, and it remains one of the best programs in the country. Housed in the College of Business Administration, there are three pathways in the major that students can select from: the Startup Pathway, the Social Entrepreneurship Pathway, or the Corporate Entrepreneurship Pathway. There is also a business incubator alongside other resources supported by the Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship.
You don’t need to major in entrepreneurship to be an entrepreneur — you don’t even need to minor in it — but being able to access entrepreneurship resources is often a game-changer. Take advantage of them, from going to talks to taking courses. When you’re ready to become a founder, those educational experiences will make a world of a difference.
If you want to launch yourself towards success, send us an email. We help students like you find, and get into, their perfect college.