The Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University came in at No. 2020 in 2023, up two places from 2022. The school has steadily climbed higher each year in our ranking of undergraduate business programs. It ranked No. 25 in 2021 and 2020, and No. 27 in 2019.
Overall, in the three main categories of the 2023 ranking, it placed 15th in Career Outcomes, 34th in Admissions, and 11th in Academic Experience.
Gabelli had an acceptance rate of 48.49%, more selective than 2022’s rate of54.50%, It had an average SAT score of 1406, up from last year’s 1390 average.
The Gabelli School has maintained relatively strong employment and internship outcomes for this year, despite a small dip in employment rate a few years ago that can likely be attributed to the COVID-19 economic downturn.
Some 97.4% of the Class of 2022 had a business-focused internship before graduating, down a smidge form last year’s 97.80%. Further, 97.42% of the Class of 2022 were able to secure a full-time position within three months of graduation, up from 95.28% of the previous class, and back up to the Class of 2019’s rate from the dip to 89.12% for the Class of 2020.
As for compensation, 2022 grads reported an average starting salary of $78,561 compared to $71,649 of the previous class. A quarter of the seniors reported getting a signing bonus of an average of $8,164.
GABELLI’S CURRICULUM: 4 MAIN FOCUSES
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.
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.
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 global immersion programs are truly immersive, with many allowing students to explore the unique ecosystems and economies of other countries — no matter how big or small.
Overall, the Gabelli education is perfect for anyone looking to get an early start on hands-on, real-world learning with an opportunity to not only be in the biggest metropolitan city in the U.S., but truly understand and experience business at a global scale.
2021 Alumni say:
“Many interdisciplinary capstone projects that tied in personal passions with industry curriculum. Established and encouraged the mindset that passion doesn’t have to be sacrificed in order to succeed or reach goals. Additionally, the deep integration of social innovation and sustainability in every facet of my business education has positively impacted me professionally and as a consumer/citizen.”
“Consulting Cup Competition. All of the business courses taken during the semester of our sophomore year would contribute towards a business school-wide competition. The whole program is very well organized and emphasizes the importance or teamwork, leadership, and time management. These skills have a direct applicability to a graduate’s career.”
“Working in a variety of projects focusing on real-world business problems allowed me and my teammates to gain a better understanding of life outside the classroom. Being able to gain exposure to real-world problems better prepared me for my career and life post-graduation.”
“The Consulting Cup gave all sophomore students the chance to act as consultants for Fortune 500 companies while working on the same team in every class. The program developed our business acumen, communication, team-building, and presentation skills. This unique experience enabled us to enter our internships and careers with the necessary teaming experience that many of our peers/coworkers from other programs lacked. I was also in the Honors Thesis Program, which was a three semester course focused on developing an academic thesis in our field of interest. I worked with my tax professor to collect data and write an academic article. This experience developed my professional, research, writing, and communication skills, which have all greatly benefitted my career.”
“Gabelli emphasizes public speaking and the art of capturing attention through various presentations, verbal skill tests/lessons, and more. All of that transfers incredibly well in the business world – from small talk, to casual meetings, to formal presentations.”
