Babson College, though small in size, is a giant in undergraduate entrepreneurship and business education. For the past 30 years, the suburban Boston-based school has held the No.1 spot for entrepreneurship in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. More recently, Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges 2023 placed Babson in the top 10 of all schools in the United States.
Babson’s strength comes from its innovative and challenging academic curriculum that emphasizes hands-on experience and business skills. One of the most renowned classes is the yearlong Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship, which gives freshman the opportunity to envision, develop, launch, and manage a real start-up. Students are taught and mentored by faculty members who are not only experts in their field but also actively engaged in the corporate world.
The course work is complemented by the college's engaging experiential learning opportunities such as:
Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action Challenge: This annual competition encourages students to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into viable business ventures. It provides funding, mentorship, and resources to help students.
Global entrepreneurship programs: Babson offers many international experiential learning options, including global consulting projects, study abroad programs, and the Global Entrepreneurship Program, which allows students to immerse themselves at start-ups in different regions of the world.
Startup Accelerators: through programs such as the Summer Venture Program, students receive funding, mentorship, and working space to develop their startups.
Rocket Pitch: Students present their business ideas to a panel of judges in just three minutes.
In addition to small class sizes and a collaborative learning environment, Babson promotes a global perspective and offers opportunities for international study and entrepreneurship experiences. The college has an international student body of nearly 30%, adding to the diversity of voices on campus.
With more than 40,000 alumni, many of them prominent in their field, Babson also helps its students and graduates tap into these connections through networking events and partnerships with industry leaders. Babson’s standout alumni include:
Arthur M. Blank: co-founder of The Home Depot, one of the world's largest home improvement retailers
Jamie Siminoff: founder and CEO of Ring, a home video security company, acquired by Amazon in 2018 for over $1 billion
Tory Burch: fashion designer and founder of the globally recognized brand
John Sculley: CEO of Apple, Inc. during the 1980s and early 1990s, who played a pivotal role during a critical transition period for the company
Doug Rauch: former president of Trader Joe's, a popular and unique American grocery store chain
Jay McInerney: a bestselling author known for his novels, including Bright Lights, Big City, and a prominent figure in contemporary American literature
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The statistics above are the most recently available as of October 2023