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Washington University Named #1 School in the Midwest for Entrepreneurship Studies by The Princeton Review & Entrepreneur Magazine

Nancy Nigh
November 16, 2021
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Washington University in St. Louis continues to be a top school for entrepreneurship – ranking  #1 on the Midwest Undergraduate list and #4 on the Midwest Graduate list in the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur rankings for Top Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies. Nationally, Washington University ranked #7 for undergraduate studies (moving up from #9 in 2021) and #13 for graduate studies (moving up from #15 in 2021).

The Princeton Review posted the lists on November 16, 2021, at www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur. The lists, as well as The Princeton Review’s in-depth profiles of the schools, are accessible there for free. Entrepreneur magazine, The Princeton Review’s publishing partner on this project, will post the ranking lists on its website and publish a feature article on the project’s regional rankings in its December issue, available on newsstands November 23.

“At WashU, entrepreneurship is highly experiential and collaborative.  We encourage our students to connect with the St. Louis community and beyond, thus expanding their network. Most notably, the majority of entrepreneurial opportunities at WashU are open to ALL undergrad and grad students, faculty, staff, postdocs, and alumni”, said II Luscri, Assistant Vice Provost for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Managing Director of the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “It is this blend of curricular and co-curricular; campus and community; creativity and entrepreneurship; not bound to discipline or school, that distinguishes our entrepreneurial offerings.”

Support of WashU student entrepreneurs has been crucial for venture success. In the last 10 years, 279 companies founded by undergraduate students have engaged with the Skandalaris Center and gone on to raise a combined $5.2 billion. Of those companies, 62% are still in business today.

On the graduate side, in the last 10 years, 240 companies started by WashU graduate students have engaged with the Skandalaris Center and eventually raised a combined total of nearly $288 million. Of those, 55% are still in business today.

This year, WashU offered over 80 entrepreneurship courses campus-wide for graduate and undergraduate students resulting in students and faculty from all seven WashU Schools engaging in the entrepreneurship curriculum. Notably, the Olin Business School’s entrepreneurship program, led by Doug Villhard, expanded their course offerings with new experiential opportunities on both the east and west coasts along with specific courses geared towards innovation in industries such as healthcare and defense. 

“We heartily recommend the fine schools that made our entrepreneurship studies ranking lists this year,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief. “Their faculties are outstanding. Their programs have robust experiential components, and their students receive awesome mentoring and networking support that will serve them for years to come.” 

The Princeton Review selected the schools and tallied its rankings based on its summer 2021 survey of administrators at nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate schools offering entrepreneurship studies. The survey asked administrators more than 60 questions about their school’s commitment to entrepreneurship studies inside and outside the classroom. The Princeton Review analyzed more than 40 survey data points to determine the school lists and rankings. Information about the company’s methodology for the rankings is posted on the company website.

“The value of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking continues to grow in our daily lives,” said Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “By sharing this list, we want to continue to provide the much-needed information that people are looking for to forge their path to entrepreneurship. This list is a valuable reference tool for where future leaders can attain the knowledge, community and training grounds to succeed on that path.”