Business school acceptance rates are one of the important factors that should be considered when students apply to the best b schools in the US. According to the Open Doors International Students Data in 2023, Business and Management are still the top three favourite fields of study for international students to go to the United States. Graduates from US business schools are well-paid, but the competition for admission is fierce. From the statistics, there are 8 business schools whose acceptance rate is less than 10% in the 2022/2023 academic year, which is better than in 2021/2022 when just 5 business schools’ acceptance rate is less than 10%. Which university should you apply to? Come and join us to see if your dream business school is listed below, which are ranked by acceptance rates.
Top 10 Business Schools with the Lowest Acceptance Rates
NO.10 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sloan School of Business
Location: Cambridge
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 2
Founding time: 1914
Admission rate: 12%
The Sloan School of Business is one of MIT’s most prestigious schools, and its undergraduate program consists of three majors: management, business analysis and finance. MIT business school acceptance rate is 12% and it is one of the toughest business schools to get into.
There is no distinction between majors in freshman year at MIT. Students who want to apply to the Sloan School of Business need to be admitted to MIT first, and then they can choose to take courses at the Sloan School of Business in the first semester. At the end of the freshman year, students will determine their major choice, and then they can further apply to the Sloan School of Business.
Therefore, MIT does not provide any application data, such as its undergraduate business school acceptance rates. However, according to MIT’s statistics on school students, the proportion of international students who attend business school as undergraduates is only 5%, while the percentage of postgraduates can reach 40% to 90%.
NO. 9 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kenan-Flagler School of Business
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 8
Founding time: 1919
Admission rate: 10%
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School has been ranked among the best business schools in the world for many years. The acceptance rate was about 1.4% lower than last year’s 11.42%.
One more particular thing is that the Kenan-Flagler School of Business was one of the first US business schools to make Business Ethics a compulsory course.
In addition, UNC Kenan-Flagler offers an “Assured Enrollment Program” for high-achieving prospective students (approximately the top 9-10% of admitted students). Once you are selected, you can participate in a number of academic and non-academic activities tailored to enhance your leadership, professional development, and career skills during your freshman year. Besides academic scholarships, you can also take the university’s global immersion optional courses designed specifically for students.
NO.8 Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 4
Founding time: 1817
Acceptance rate: 9%
Renowned in the world of business and management academia, Ross Business School has been ranked as one of the top 10 best business schools in the United States for many years. It also has the lowest acceptance rate business schools among all the public universities in the US.
The Ross School of Business acceptance rate in 2022-2023 is 8.88%. There are totally 9,210 applicants, but only 818 were accepted. Only about 6% of them are international students, which is very competitive.
It is important to note that the Michigan Ross Undergraduate Business Administration Program (BBA) is a general management degree designed to give students a well-rounded understanding of business. Students are required to complete 16 core courses, a maximum of 3 credits, and 15 credits of electives.
Due to its proximity to the industrial city of Detroit, many traditional automotive and manufacturing companies recruit students at the University of Michigan. Employment surveys show that graduates with this degree earn an average of $90,000 a year.
NO.7 University of Southern California
Marshall School of Business
Location: Los Angeles
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 8
Founding time: 1920
Admission rate: 9%
USC is located in Los Angeles, a very bustling city. In addition to good economic development, Los Angeles has many emerging companies with rich job opportunities and a strong entrepreneurial atmosphere. It is one of the most popular universities for many international students.
The USC Marshall School of Business has many joint programs, such as partnering with the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering to offer a joint degree program in commercial artificial intelligence. Its AI for Business program brings together America’s top business schools and top engineering schools. What’s more, the curriculum combines business administration with areas such as international relations and film arts.
NO.6 Washington University in St. Louis
Olin School of Business
Location: St. Louis
Founded: 1916
Admission rate: 9%
All undergraduates at Olin Business School are required to meet the new “Global Thinking” degree requirements, a framework designed to ensure that every undergraduate student can gain international business experience. As a result, the school’s graduates can find good internships and get satisfying employment.
For the fifth year in a row, the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis took the top spot in Poets & Quants’ global ranking of MBA entrepreneurship programs. Notably, the university adds a new four-year joint degree in business and computer science in addition to a degree in business administration at the undergraduate level.
NO.5 Carnegie Mellon University
Tepper School of Business
Location: Pittsburgh
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Program Rank: 7
Established: 1900
Admission rate: 8.6%
We all know that CMU has strong strength in majors like computer, robotics, electronic engineering, artificial intelligence. However, its business school is also not be underestimated. The school has the leading major in financial engineering in the United States – MSCF, and many graduates of this major work as data analysts, one of the most highest paid job.
CMU has a solid foundation in computer, so Tepper School of Business (TPR) places a strong emphasis on students’ ability to data analyze and problem analysis and solution. Its characteristic majors are also directly related to the industry. For example, quantitative analysis, management information systems, production operations, and finance are among the best.
Tepper’s students are beloved by companies, and its graduate employment rate ranks among the top five in the United States. At the same time, Tepper is also one of the most difficult business school for undergraduates in the United States to admit. It offers a fairly small number of enrollees each year, with only about 8.6% business school acceptance rates.
NO.4 New York University
Stern School of Business
Location: New York
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 5
Established: 1900
Admission rate: 6.6%
Due to its proximity to the financial center Wall Street and extensive connections with hundreds of world-class financial research institutions and financial enterprises, NYU has always been a popular choice for business students, ranking among the best in terms of admission rate (No. 4) and career outcomes (No. 6).
NYU’s Stern School of Business is the world’s first globally connected business school, with an undergraduate experience based on five main pillars: academic, global, social impact, professional, and community. Almost everyone on campus have a global study experience, and more than half of students spend at least one semester abroad.
Accounting is known for its high employment rate and is a very popular major among students. However, high school graduates can only apply directly to two Bachelor of Science degrees: Business, Business and Political Economy. The average annual salary after graduating from a business major is more than $80,000, which makes NYU very attractive.
NO.3 University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Business School
Location: Philadelphia
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 1
Founded: 1881
Admission rate: 6.3%
Wharton School of Business, Penn’s best-known school, offers undergraduate, Master of Business administration, executive Master of Business Administration and doctoral programs. It was the first business school in the world.
It is not only considered to be the best business school in the world, but also the number one source school for investment banking. Wharton is also known as the “Alma mater of billionaires”. It focuses on training a variety of career talents in the fields related to finance, such as banking, asset management, portfolio investment, and financial institution management.
NO.2 Northeastern University
D’Amore-McKim School of Business
Location: Boston
Established: 1922
Admission rate: 5.73%
Northeastern University ranked below 40th in the overall rankings, but the number of applicants has remained high. Business is one of the strong majors of Northeastern University, Northeastern University can be ranked among the Top50 in the United States.
Damore McGinn School of Business is considered the business school with high performance, and its programs include business administration, international business, accounting, business analytics, enterprise innovation and many other popular undergraduate programs. Tuition here is more than half as cheap as at other top schools, and graduates’ starting salaries are comparable to those at top schools.
D’Amore-McKim School of Business is very competitive. In terms of internships, Northeastern’s signature co-op program allows students to pursue full-time work experience, through which students can accumulate internship and work experience in advance. According to statistics, the admission rates business school of Northeastern University plummeted, falling to 5.73% from 16.28% in the previous year, and the difficulty is higher than that of many famous business schools.
NO.1 Cornell University
Dyson School of Business
Location: Ithaca, N.Y.
2024 US News Undergraduate Business Programs Rank: 8
Established: 1911
Acceptance rate: 4.17%
Cornell University’s Dyson Business School is divided into two schools. One is Dyson School, which offers a bachelor’s degree in economics and management. The other is Nolan School, which offers one of the top hospitality management programs in the country.
Cornell University is one of only two Ivy League schools offering an undergraduate degree in business. From 2020 to 2022, Cornell’s acceptance rate fell from 8% to 4.17%. Last year, Cornell Dyson accepted 237 out of 5,680 applications, the lowest acceptance rate in the United States.
Undergraduate students can choose their major from one of the following 11: Accounting, Agribusiness Management, Applied Economics, Business analysis, entrepreneurship, Environment, Energy and Resource Economics, Finance, Food Industry Management, International Trade and Development, Marketing, and Strategy.
Tips to Choose Low Acceptance Rate Business Schools for Undergraduates
More and more high school students want to study business and majors aligned with business, such as Economics, Accounting, Supply Chain, and Bachelor in Business Administration, wishing to either start their own business or get high-paid jobs in their future careers. Unlike postgraduate MBA, undergraduate students are usually selected under a common admission process. Therefore, acceptance rates are usually defined by the entire undergraduate selection body rather than the respective departments. So how do you apply to a low acceptance rate business school for undergraduates?
First of all, knowing why you want to apply to business school is very important. Studying at a business school will likely provide more hands-on, real-world experience. This often correlates to consulting and internship opportunities as well.
Secondly, suppose you have decided to apply to low acceptance rate business schools in the US. In that case, there are other factors you should consider, such as program offerings, faculty, location, student body makeup, MBA acceptance rates, and other factors that are difficult to quantify. Comprehensively think about what you really care about and choose the most suitable business schools you would like to apply to.
The competition for business schools is very fierce. When you are in high school, try to search for your dream school in advance and prepare yourself for the application to earn the enrolment quota of that business school. Early preparation allows you to know schools thoroughly, understand their specific requirements and tailor your application accordingly.
Conclusion
This blog offers comprehensive information on business school acceptance rates 2024, including the list of business schools in the US with the lowest acceptance rate and tips to apply to those business schools to make students more competitive among many applicants. Though it’s a little challenging to study business programs, you are on your way to success if you are admitted.
FAQ
Do business schools care about GPA?
Yes.
Business schools consider a candidate’s GPA important. A strong GPA demonstrates a commitment to excellence and the ability to thrive in a rigorous academic environment, but GPA is not the only criterion for admission. Leadership potential, community contributions, and work experience are also important factors they consider.
What is the hardest undergraduate business school to get into?
Cornell University
According to the statistics from US News, the acceptance rate of Dyson business school of Cornell University is 4.17%. It is the hardest undergraduate business school to get into.
Is it hard to get accepted into business school?
Yes.
It is challenging to gain admission to a top business school. Due to their good job prospects in business programs and strong academic strength, these institutions attract many highly qualified candidates worldwide, creating a fiercely competitive environment.
