The Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University came in at No. 29 in P&Q’s 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Program in the U.S.
Of the ranking’s three methodological categories, Gabelli scored highest in Academic Experience based solely on our alumni survey. They finished 13th out of 104 ranked programs in that category. They also finished 17th in Career Outcomes and 42nd in Admission Standards.
Gabelli had an acceptance rate of 56.7% for the 2024 incoming class and an average SAT score of 1407. Its 6-year graduation rate is 85.6%.
More than 97% of graduating seniors completed business-focused internships during the course of the program for the last three classes, a positive indicator for full-time employment after graduation. As such, Gabelli grads also post strong employment rates – the percentage of job-seeking graduates who find positions within three months. The rate for 2024 grads was 94.7% and it was 94.9% for 2023 grads.
2024 grads earned an average starting salary of $81,776, and 26% reported receiving an average signing bonus of $8,111. Top employers for the class were PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), EY, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs & Co., KPMG, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch, Citigroup Inc., Deloitte, Mizuho, and Wells Fargo.
GABELLI’S CURRICULUM
Located in the heart of New York City, Gabelli offers a business education that emphasizes leadership training and problem-solving with opportunities to travel globally and connect with an expansive alumni network.
The Gabelli School core curriculum is centered around four main pillars, with each year dedicated to one. Gabelli students spend their first year focused on “Innovation and Exploration.” In this year, students explore the idea of social innovation through business models and the role of business in society.
In their second year, coursework is heavily teamwork centric. Students are organized into cohorts and collaborate with the same group of students in all classes. Junior year is spent on data and analytics with classes such as financial modeling, marketing analytics, and business analytics. The senior year ties together the comprehensive leadership skills that students have been developing during their education through an integrated leadership project.
Gabelli students can specialize in a wide range of majors and concentrations including Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Marketing, Business Administration (with various concentrations), and Global Business (with tracks in Global Marketing, Digital Media and Technology, and Global Finance & Business Economics).
CONSULTING CUP CHALLENGE
One of the impactful experiences that many Gabelli alumni highlight is the Consulting Cup challenge, a semester-long integrated project course, when you and student teams are given a real company to investigate.
Students spend four months identifying their selected company’s biggest challenge in the marketplace and collaborate with one another to solve it. The student teams present their proposed solution to a panel of judges and professors where the winning team takes home $3,000 in prize money.
Whereas many other B-schools expose students to this type of real-world project in their senior year as a capstone course, Gabelli students are given this opportunity early on in their education as sophomores.
The challenge is a key example of the Gabelli experience, one that gives students a real-world view into business as a whole and features a ton of collaboration.
CONSTANT INNOVATION
Gabelli continues to innovate its academic offerings to meet industry demands. The Gabelli School AI Initiative helps students understand AI’s impact on business strategy and decision-making, rather than just the technical aspects. A new Personal Finance requirement ensures that students develop financial literacy skills, covering budgeting, investment, insurance, estate planning, and taxation. Recognizing the unique financial needs of students at different stages, Gabelli tailors financial education differently for first-year students transitioning to independence and seniors preparing to enter the workforce.
Entrepreneurship and global experience come together in Gabelli’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa course, which sends students to countries such as Rwanda and Senegal to study market-driven innovation and business development. Expanding its commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), Gabelli has increased career placement support for underrepresented students through the DEI Finance Recruiting Event, now expanded to include Marketing, Digital Media, and Technology industries.
The Fordham Foundry, with locations in the Bronx and Manhattan, serves as an on-campus business incubator, providing office space, mentorship, and connections to New York City’s entrepreneurial community. Gabelli also offers specialized concentrations that cater to emerging business fields, such as Alternative Investments (hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real estate), Fintech, Value Investing, and Credit Analysis & Investment.
BEYOND NEW YORK CITY
Gabelli students not only have access to the cultural hub that is New York City, but also a wide variety of opportunities to travel internationally. With more than 150 programs in countries internationally, the Gabelli School has strong partnerships with universities around the world – from the Beijing Center of Loyola University Chicago to the Vienna University of Business and Economics.
Gabelli’s New York City and London campuses provide unparalleled opportunities for internships, networking, and exposure to global business. Located in the financial, media, and advertising capital of the U.S., Gabelli students have access to internships and jobs during the academic year, as well as high-profile guest speakers and industry leaders who frequently visit campus. The London campus offers an international business experience with Fordham professors teaching advanced-level business courses, eliminating study-abroad credit transfer concerns.
ALUMNI SAY
“I participated in and won a team business competition called the Consulting Cup. That experience was important to me because it taught me how to speak in front of big groups, rely on members of my team, and think creatively about the company we were assigned to consult for.”
“I had to do a marketing project which required me to lead a group of 5 people in pitching a new product offering in the food industry to a select demographic of customers. This experience taught me the importance of building a personal brand. This has been so helpful to me as a working professional as I continue to navigate my career path.”
“I was a part of the winter internship program in which I worked full time for three months at KPMG and took accelerated courses at night during the end of the semester. The experience allowed me to network and learn a lot both inside and outside of the classroom and led to my current job.”
“I participated in Monaco Ground Floor. Met with top business leaders (political figures, CEOs, etc) and began immersing myself in international business affairs.”
“The global learning classes I took at Gabellis London location prepared me to surpass my peers at work. I work at a global ad agency, though much of our client work in the NY office is based in NA. My global education background allowed me to be a key contributor to global campaigns, including Asian, European, and LATAM markets. It continues to be a standout skill that keeps me on the biggest and best projects.”
“Fordham was the best decision I could have made for my future. The decision to transfer to Fordham my sophomore year of college has put me in a place where I know I can succeed and achieve all of my goals and aspirations. I will forever have Fordham to thank for where I’m at today.”
“Fordham has and always will be a scrappy, innovating, and quality business education. The professors work in their field of study and practice, which enhances networking opportunities and real world application of classroom material. I only have great things to say about Gabelli, and Fordham as a whole. In the business world today, i am always proud to say where I earned my stripes, and I can tell the education has set me apart from my peers in D.C. Go Rams!”
