Bucknell University’s Kenneth W. Freeman College of Management finished at No. 23 in P&Q’s 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. In our three methodological categories, it finished 26th Admission Standards out of 104 ranked programs. It also finished 32nd in Career Outcomes, and 18th in Academic Experience which is based on our alumni survey.
Freeman had a 21% acceptance rate for the 2024 incoming class along with an average SAT score of 1380. Its 6-year graduation rate is 86%.
The rate of graduates who completed a business-focused internship during the program fell from 92% for the class of 2023 to 87% for the Class of 2024. Its full-time employment rate – the percentage of graduates who found a job within three months – also fell from 93.9% in 2023 to 85.7%.
2024 grads earned an average first-year salary of $80,465, and 52% of them reported receiving an average signing bonus of $8,348. Its top employers were PwC , RSM, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Clark Construction, Houlihan Lokey, American International Group, and KPMG.
CURRICULUM
The Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University integrates a liberal arts foundation with a rigorous management education, ensuring students develop broad intellectual skills alongside technical business expertise. Management students take courses across Bucknell’s liberal arts core, with elective requirements that encourage interdisciplinary learning beyond the College of Management. Additionally, all students complete a writing-intensive curriculum, requiring at least three writing-focused courses to strengthen communication skills.
Students can choose from majors including Accounting; Finance; Business Analytics; Management & Organizations; Markets, Innovation & Design. The Management & Organizations major offers concentrations in entrepreneurship, human resource management, global management and managing for sustainability.
All Bucknell students graduate well-versed in writing as Bucknell requires students to take at least three writing-intensive classes.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AT THE HEART OF LEARNING
Many of the experiential learning opportunities at Bucknell have an element of community service.
Management 101 is the hallmark of the Bucknell education. In the required course, students learn about basic organizational forms, behaviors and decision making by forming a company in their first year, raising funds through a self designed product that is sold on campus and using the proceeds for a service project in the local community. Since its inception in 1978, 310 MGMT 101 companies have provided services and donations valued in excess of $500,000 and have worked more than 100,000 person-hours for their service client partners. At the other end, seniors in the Management Consulting class work with local organizations and communities, such as towns from the coal region in Central Pennsylvania, to rebuild the community.
As a signatory member of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME), Freeman is committed to incorporating UN Sustainable Development Goals into its curriculum, ensuring graduates are prepared to lead with social responsibility and ethical decision-making.
Freeman continues to expand its offerings with a new Business Analytics major, which culminates in a practicum and a student trip to a tech hub such as Silicon Valley or Seattle over spring break. A redesigned first-year experience enhances leadership and mentoring skills, pairing students with alumni mentors from firms like Accenture, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, J&J, JP Morgan, and PepsiCo. With a 95% first-year retention rate and a 23% increase in applications, Freeman’s reputation continues to grow.
To better serve the broader student body, Freeman has introduced six new minors, including Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Markets Innovation & Design, and Real Estate.
STRONG ALUMNI SUPPORT
Bucknell has an expansive and strong alumni network. The B-school recently enhanced its alumni connections through an alumni-mentoring program, which partners first-year students with alumni employed at Goldman Sachs, PwC, JPMorgan, Vanguard, Deloitte, or Johnson & Johnson.
The Bucknell education is one that goes beyond business. Its curriculum incorporates the liberal arts. The experiential learning opportunities emphasize the value in giving back. And its alumni network is one that is supportive through thick and thin. For those interested in learning more than just the profit of business, the Freeman College of Management is a solid place to start.
ALUMNI SAY
“Working with local business to develop projects and ideas. I got to work with a local children’s museum to design a new exhibit which was a great experience in collaboration, creating business relationships, user experience research, and more. Has helped me a lot in regards to bundling client>business relationships as someone in the SAS industry.”
“I did summer research with a professor regarding LEED certification in commercial real estate and how it affects sales prices. We analyzed data from every commercial property in the country to perform a statistical analysis on the value that LEED certification has on sales price.”
“Bucknell Freeman College of Management pushed me to apply to potential opportunities and jobs. I credit the school for the opportunities I continue to take today.”
“Bucknell University’s Freeman College of Management is a special place. It pushed me to think critically and work hard to achieve what I want. Every professor went out of their way to propel my success and I continue to build my broader bucknell community throughout my future outside of school.”
“Very underrated business school providing a world class experience.”
