Business

The colleges with the best value for money in 2021 are great for young entrepreneurs

Premium These schools offer more than just business classes. Barry Winiker This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Budding entrepreneurs looking for the colleges that offer the best value have options across the US. Schools including MIT, Columbia, and Lehigh University promise relevant classes, robust networks,…

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Published on September 27, 2020

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Columbia — These schools offer more than just business classes.

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Budding entrepreneurs looking for the colleges that offer the best value have options across the US.
Schools including MIT, Columbia, and Lehigh University promise relevant classes, robust networks, and resources such as accelerators and co-working labs.
The list was produced by ranking site Niche and was based on schools’ net prices, graduation rates, student debt, and alumni earnings.
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The college experience may be drastically different because of Covid-19, but that won’t stop budding entrepreneurs from searching for a good deal on their education.

The 15 best value colleges offering business and entrepreneurial programs in 2021 are scattered across the country but promise to give students access to relevant classes, robust networks, and resources such as accelerators and co-working labs.

The list was produced by ranking and review site Niche, formerly known as College Prowler, and was based on schools’ net prices, graduation rates, student debt, alumni earnings, and reviews from former students. It was then filtered for business majors.

Here are the top 15 best value schools that offer strong entrepreneurial educations.

15. Georgetown University

Location: Washington. D.C.

Net price: $28,509

Georgetown’s courses teach young founders the tools and techniques for entrepreneurial success, such as law, finance, and creativity. What’s more, the campus is close to Amazon’s HQ2, which is still under construction.

14. Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Net price: $27,931

In addition to business curriculum, students can apply to the school’s seven-week Israel Summer Business Academy, an immersive experience designed to teach participants about venture capital and entrepreneurship.

13. Columbia University

Location: New York City, New York

Net price: $21,220

Entrepreneurial students can work on their businesses in the school’s co-working Startup Lab, compete for prize money through the Venture Competition, or participate in the real estate technology accelerator.

12. Northwestern University

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Net price: $27,540

Northwestern brings faculty from a wide array of backgrounds to guide students through identifying and addressing new challenges and opportunities in the world. The program teaches students how to consult for businesses or launch one of their own.

11. Lehigh University

Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Net price: $26,782

Lehigh offers an entrepreneurship minor, a manager major that delves into launching startups, and Startup Academy, a summer internship program where students work at early- to mid-stage companies.

10. Babson College

Location: Babson Park, Massachusetts

Net price: $29,587

Babson’s entrepreneurial concentration develops idea generation, resource acquisition, entrepreneurial management, and opportunity recognition. Students will also learn to assess financial feasibility.

9. Stevens Institute of Technology

Location: Hoboken, New Jersey

New price: $39,862

Entrepreneurial students are developing technology that solve problems in science, health, engineering, cybersecurity, and consumer applications. What’s more, the school’s annual Innovation Expo showcases students’ work to members of the community and national entrepreneurs.

8. Cornell University

Location: Ithaca, New York

Net price: $28,890

A university-wide minor in entrepreneurship and innovation prepares students for careers in the business world. They’ll learn how to create new companies, work within startups, and participate in initiatives that address social and environmental issues.

7. University of Notre Dame

Location: Notre Dame, Indiana

Net price: $30,229

The school’s undergraduate minor in innovation and entrepreneurship develops business skills and teaches students how to bring their ideas to fruition. What’s more, the school’s McCloskey New Venture competition gives student founders a chance to win $400,000 in cash and prizes.

6. University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Net price: $26,266

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business has 12 entrepreneurship programs, offers leadership development courses, research opportunities, and seed funding for burgeoning startups.

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Net price: $16,950

Students can choose from a variety of programs that help them learn about entrepreneurship or launch their own company. The school’s Customer Discovery Lab is a six-week program for first-time or experienced founders while the Grand Challenges is a year-long program that develops problem-solving skills and solutions.

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4. Washington & Lee University

Lee — The school’s J. Lawrence Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship teaches and encourages analytical thinking.

Location: Lexington, Virginia

Net price: $21,918

The school’s J. Lawrence Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship teaches and encourages analytical thinking, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, creativity, and innovation. Students are encouraged to develop business plans and get support from faculty to launch their companies.

3. Rice University

Location: Houston, Texas

Net price: $23,202 per year

Rice’s entrepreneurship minor teaches students to identify critical problems or market opportunities and how to develop solutions to meet those needs. Students will also learn empathy skills to better understand customers, clients, and team members. They also have access to the school’s Founder Dinner Series, a monthly dinner program for student business owners.

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Net price: $30,847 per year

Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship encourages students to turn their ideas into viable commercial businesses. Students have worked in fields such as robotics, software engineering, advanced materials, and design.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT’s entrepreneurship minor is designed as an interdisciplinary program.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Net price: $18,971 per year

MIT’s entrepreneurship minor is designed as an interdisciplinary program so students can bring their own own educational interests to the program. What’s more, MIT helps pair students with venture internships and offers a venture exploration program to bring student concepts to fruition.