Poets&Quants For Undergrads - 2026 Best Business Schools | How Alumni Rate Their Undergraduate Business Degrees

Alumni at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business rated their program the highest among 110 schools for the strength and accessibility of its alumni network.

BUILDING YOUR NETWORK

One of the most valuable components of a business degree is the professional network and career development that comes with it.

To see which schools excel in this area, we asked alumni to rate their contact with professionals as well as the the quality and accessibility of the school’s alumni network.

How would you appraise the business program’s efforts to bring you into contact with practicing professionals, including your school’s alumni network, in the business community?
2026 Rank	School	Professional Network
15	Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller)	9.5
15	University of Illinois (Gies)	9.4
9	University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)	9.4
65	University of Evansville (Schroeder)	9.3
1	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	9.3
17	University of Richmond (Robins)	9.3
53	The Catholic University of America (Busch)	9.3
25	Southern Methodist University (Cox)	9.3
4	University of Michigan (Ross)	9.3
10	Emory University (Goizueta)	9.2
31	Trinity University (Neidorff)	9.2
41	Fairfield University (Dolan)	9.2
5	University of Southern California (Marshall)	9.2
88	Longwood University	9.2
45	Marquette University	9.2
75	Marian University (Indianapolis)	9.1
56	Susquehanna University (Weis)	9.1
8	University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)	9.1
38	Bucknell University (Freeman)	9.1
30	Tulane University (Freeman)	9.0
28	Texas Christian University (Neeley)	9.0
59	Bryant University	9.0
27	Binghamton University	9.0
43	Providence College	8.9
2	University of Virginia (McIntire)	8.9
14	Villanova University	8.9
49	University of Dayton	8.8
13	Wake Forest University	8.8
7	Georgetown University (McDonough)	8.8
3	Cornell University (Dyson SC Johnson)	8.8
57	Texas A&M University (Mays)	8.8
83	Roger Williams University (Gabelli)	8.8
52	University of Houston (Bauer)	8.8
51	Butler University (Lacy)	8.7
47	University of Tennessee (Haslam)	8.7
61	Florida Southern College (Barnett)	8.7
11	Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)	8.7
35	Brigham Young University (Marriott)	8.7
29	Fordham University (Gabelli)	8.7
32	Purdue University (Daniels)	8.7
39	Miami University (Farmer)	8.7
72	Adelphi University (Willumstad)	8.6
6	New York University (Stern)	8.6
63	University of New Hampshire (Paul)	8.6
21	University of Wisconsin-Madison	8.6
22	University of Miami (Herbert)	8.6
50	Loyola Marymount University	8.6
36	University of Georgia (Terry)	8.6
40	University of Colorado Boulder (Leeds)	8.5
33	Elon University (Love)	8.5
81	Hult International Business School	8.5
64	University of Delaware (Lerner)	8.5
24	William & Mary (Mason)	8.5
70	St. John’s University (Tobin)	8.5
12	Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)	8.5
87	Hofstra University (Zarb)	8.4
77	Christopher Newport University (Luter)	8.4
67	The College of New Jersey	8.4
23	University of Minnesota (Carlson)	8.4
19	University of Washington (Foster)	8.3
91	Texas Tech University (Rawls)	8.3
101	University of Kansas	8.3
66	University of St. Thomas (Opus)	8.3
26	University of Pittsburgh	8.2
82	Duquesne University (Palumbo Donahue)	8.2
84	Ohio University	8.2
34	Lehigh University	8.2
69	University of San Diego (Knauss)	8.2
78	University of Connecticut	8.2
18	Boston University (Questrom)	8.1
99	Sacred Heart University	8.1
95	Ithaca College	8.1
74	Rutgers Business School – Newark	8.1
90	Bowling Green State University (Schmidthorst)	8.1
79	Drexel University (LeBow)	8.1
58	Seton Hall University (Stillman)	8.0
20	Northeastern University (D’Amore-McKim)	8.0
102	University of the Pacific (Eberhardt)	8.0
37	Syracuse University (Whitman)	8.0
93	University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Cameron)	8.0
68	University of South Carolina (Darla Moore)	8.0
61	University of Missouri-Columbia (Trulaske)	7.9
97	Iona University (LaPenta)	7.9
85	University of Denver (Daniels)	7.9
46	University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Isenberg)	7.9
80	Saint Louis University (Chaifetz)	7.8
105	Florida International University	7.8
107	Stony Brook University	7.8
108	Northern Illinois University	7.7
106	Oregon State University	7.7
55	Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick	7.7
89	Texas State University (McCoy)	7.6
110	Kennesaw State University (Coles)	7.6
86	University of Oregon (Lundquist)	7.6
76	Seattle University (Albers)	7.6
104	San Jose State University (Lucas)	7.5
96	American University (Kogod)	7.4
73	Towson University	7.4
54	Lipscomb University	7.4
94	University of Texas at Dallas (Jindal)	7.3
103	San Diego State University (Fowler)	7.3
42	University of Rochester (Simon)	7.1
109	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Lubar)	7.0
60	North Carolina State University (Poole)	7.0
48	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	6.9
71	Rochester Institute of Technology (Saunders)	6.8
92	University of Mary Washington	6.7
44	Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead)	6.7
98	University of Michigan-Dearborn	6.4
100	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Lally)	4.5

How would you judge the business program’s alumni network and connections that can help you throughout your career?
2026 Rank	School	Alumni Network
9	University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)	9.6
4	University of Michigan (Ross)	9.6
15	Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller)	9.6
38	Bucknell University (Freeman)	9.5
1	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	9.5
5	University of Southern California (Marshall)	9.4
2	University of Virginia (McIntire)	9.3
25	Southern Methodist University (Cox)	9.3
17	University of Richmond (Robins)	9.2
15	University of Illinois (Gies)	9.2
3	Cornell University (Dyson SC Johnson)	9.2
8	University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)	9.0
57	Texas A&M University (Mays)	9.0
14	Villanova University	9.0
10	Emory University (Goizueta)	9.0
41	Fairfield University (Dolan)	8.9
43	Providence College	8.9
7	Georgetown University (McDonough)	8.9
27	Binghamton University	8.8
53	The Catholic University of America (Busch)	8.8
13	Wake Forest University	8.7
88	Longwood University	8.7
24	William & Mary (Mason)	8.7
65	University of Evansville (Schroeder)	8.7
56	Susquehanna University (Weis)	8.7
30	Tulane University (Freeman)	8.7
39	Miami University (Farmer)	8.6
45	Marquette University	8.6
31	Trinity University (Neidorff)	8.6
49	University of Dayton	8.6
35	Brigham Young University (Marriott)	8.6
11	Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)	8.5
29	Fordham University (Gabelli)	8.5
12	Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)	8.5
83	Roger Williams University (Gabelli)	8.5
36	University of Georgia (Terry)	8.5
28	Texas Christian University (Neeley)	8.5
6	New York University (Stern)	8.4
21	University of Wisconsin-Madison	8.4
32	Purdue University (Daniels)	8.4
59	Bryant University	8.3
34	Lehigh University	8.3
75	Marian University (Indianapolis)	8.2
22	University of Miami (Herbert)	8.2
33	Elon University (Love)	8.2
40	University of Colorado Boulder (Leeds)	8.2
81	Hult International Business School	8.2
87	Hofstra University (Zarb)	8.1
72	Adelphi University (Willumstad)	8.1
61	Florida Southern College (Barnett)	8.1
51	Butler University (Lacy)	8.1
50	Loyola Marymount University	8.1
97	Iona University (LaPenta)	8.0
84	Ohio University	8.0
67	The College of New Jersey	8.0
19	University of Washington (Foster)	8.0
63	University of New Hampshire (Paul)	8.0
70	St. John’s University (Tobin)	8.0
64	University of Delaware (Lerner)	8.0
52	University of Houston (Bauer)	7.9
26	University of Pittsburgh	7.9
47	University of Tennessee (Haslam)	7.9
101	University of Kansas	7.9
37	Syracuse University (Whitman)	7.9
18	Boston University (Questrom)	7.9
66	University of St. Thomas (Opus)	7.9
91	Texas Tech University (Rawls)	7.8
46	University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Isenberg)	7.8
78	University of Connecticut	7.7
77	Christopher Newport University (Luter)	7.7
23	University of Minnesota (Carlson)	7.7
93	University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Cameron)	7.7
58	Seton Hall University (Stillman)	7.6
69	University of San Diego (Knauss)	7.6
105	Florida International University	7.6
82	Duquesne University (Palumbo Donahue)	7.6
90	Bowling Green State University (Schmidthorst)	7.6
102	University of the Pacific (Eberhardt)	7.5
20	Northeastern University (D’Amore-McKim)	7.5
68	University of South Carolina (Darla Moore)	7.5
108	Northern Illinois University	7.3
55	Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick	7.3
95	Ithaca College	7.3
61	University of Missouri-Columbia (Trulaske)	7.2
104	San Jose State University (Lucas)	7.1
74	Rutgers Business School – Newark	7.1
107	Stony Brook University	7.1
110	Kennesaw State University (Coles)	7.1
89	Texas State University (McCoy)	7.0
86	University of Oregon (Lundquist)	6.9
99	Sacred Heart University	6.9
76	Seattle University (Albers)	6.9
92	University of Mary Washington	6.9
79	Drexel University (LeBow)	6.8
80	Saint Louis University (Chaifetz)	6.8
103	San Diego State University (Fowler)	6.8
73	Towson University	6.8
42	University of Rochester (Simon)	6.7
96	American University (Kogod)	6.7
106	Oregon State University	6.6
60	North Carolina State University (Poole)	6.5
85	University of Denver (Daniels)	6.5
94	University of Texas at Dallas (Jindal)	6.4
109	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Lubar)	6.2
54	Lipscomb University	6.1
48	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	6.1
44	Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead)	6.1
98	University of Michigan-Dearborn	6.0
71	Rochester Institute of Technology (Saunders)	6.0
100	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Lally)	4.8

How accessible and willing were the school’s alumni in helping you connect with potential employers?
2026 Rank	School	Alumni Help
9	University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)	9.6
2	University of Virginia (McIntire)	9.5
15	Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller)	9.4
17	University of Richmond (Robins)	9.2
5	University of Southern California (Marshall)	9.2
38	Bucknell University (Freeman)	9.2
4	University of Michigan (Ross)	9.2
15	University of Illinois (Gies)	9.1
3	Cornell University (Dyson SC Johnson)	9.1
25	Southern Methodist University (Cox)	9.1
10	Emory University (Goizueta)	9.1
8	University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)	9.1
41	Fairfield University (Dolan)	9.0
88	Longwood University	9.0
31	Trinity University (Neidorff)	9.0
43	Providence College	8.9
53	The Catholic University of America (Busch)	8.9
14	Villanova University	8.9
27	Binghamton University	8.9
1	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	8.9
30	Tulane University (Freeman)	8.8
49	University of Dayton	8.8
24	William & Mary (Mason)	8.8
13	Wake Forest University	8.7
11	Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)	8.7
35	Brigham Young University (Marriott)	8.7
57	Texas A&M University (Mays)	8.7
59	Bryant University	8.6
28	Texas Christian University (Neeley)	8.6
56	Susquehanna University (Weis)	8.6
7	Georgetown University (McDonough)	8.6
45	Marquette University	8.5
67	The College of New Jersey	8.5
21	University of Wisconsin-Madison	8.5
83	Roger Williams University (Gabelli)	8.4
39	Miami University (Farmer)	8.4
29	Fordham University (Gabelli)	8.4
72	Adelphi University (Willumstad)	8.4
6	New York University (Stern)	8.3
32	Purdue University (Daniels)	8.3
12	Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)	8.2
61	Florida Southern College (Barnett)	8.2
33	Elon University (Love)	8.2
36	University of Georgia (Terry)	8.1
47	University of Tennessee (Haslam)	8.1
34	Lehigh University	8.1
22	University of Miami (Herbert)	8.1
77	Christopher Newport University (Luter)	8.1
75	Marian University (Indianapolis)	8.1
84	Ohio University	8.0
26	University of Pittsburgh	8.0
69	University of San Diego (Knauss)	8.0
52	University of Houston (Bauer)	8.0
78	University of Connecticut	8.0
63	University of New Hampshire (Paul)	7.9
50	Loyola Marymount University	7.9
51	Butler University (Lacy)	7.9
70	St. John’s University (Tobin)	7.9
40	University of Colorado Boulder (Leeds)	7.9
91	Texas Tech University (Rawls)	7.8
18	Boston University (Questrom)	7.8
64	University of Delaware (Lerner)	7.8
46	University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Isenberg)	7.8
66	University of St. Thomas (Opus)	7.8
37	Syracuse University (Whitman)	7.7
19	University of Washington (Foster)	7.7
82	Duquesne University (Palumbo Donahue)	7.7
65	University of Evansville (Schroeder)	7.7
97	Iona University (LaPenta)	7.6
101	University of Kansas	7.6
87	Hofstra University (Zarb)	7.6
90	Bowling Green State University (Schmidthorst)	7.6
20	Northeastern University (D’Amore-McKim)	7.5
93	University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Cameron)	7.5
23	University of Minnesota (Carlson)	7.5
110	Kennesaw State University (Coles)	7.5
108	Northern Illinois University	7.5
102	University of the Pacific (Eberhardt)	7.4
68	University of South Carolina (Darla Moore)	7.4
80	Saint Louis University (Chaifetz)	7.4
95	Ithaca College	7.4
42	University of Rochester (Simon)	7.4
58	Seton Hall University (Stillman)	7.3
81	Hult International Business School	7.2
99	Sacred Heart University	7.2
79	Drexel University (LeBow)	7.1
61	University of Missouri-Columbia (Trulaske)	7.0
105	Florida International University	6.9
55	Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick	6.9
74	Rutgers Business School – Newark	6.8
103	San Diego State University (Fowler)	6.7
107	Stony Brook University	6.7
73	Towson University	6.7
89	Texas State University (McCoy)	6.7
104	San Jose State University (Lucas)	6.6
85	University of Denver (Daniels)	6.6
86	University of Oregon (Lundquist)	6.6
94	University of Texas at Dallas (Jindal)	6.6
54	Lipscomb University	6.5
60	North Carolina State University (Poole)	6.5
48	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	6.4
44	Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead)	6.3
76	Seattle University (Albers)	6.3
92	University of Mary Washington	6.2
106	Oregon State University	6.2
96	American University (Kogod)	6.2
71	Rochester Institute of Technology (Saunders)	6.1
109	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Lubar)	6.0
98	University of Michigan-Dearborn	5.5
100	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Lally)	3.0

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