The Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego (USD) finished No. 56 on Poets&Quants’ 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. In our three methodological categories, it finished No. 57 in Admission Standards, No. 55 in Career Outcomes, and No. 61 in Academic Experience (based solely on our alumni survey).
The B-school’s acceptance rate for the fall 2024 incoming class was 52.4%, and its six-year graduation rate is 84%.
In career data, 69% of Class of 2024 graduates and 74% of Class of 2023 grads completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Some 89.8% of 2024 grads found jobs within three months, compared to 87.2% of 2023 grads.
Average salary for the most recent graduates was $74,552, with 46% of them reporting an average signing bonus of $6,579. The top employers included EY, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, RSM, CBRE, Rip Curl, Alphatec Spine, and Marcus & Millichap.
San Diego’s undergraduate business program is characterized by its student-centric approach to education. At San Diego, student development is the key focus — from small class sizes to ultimate creative freedom in projects.
STUDENT-CENTRIC APPROACH
The Knauss School of Business is dedicated to developing socially responsible leaders with a global mindset, combining values-driven education with innovative research. The school integrates global engagement with ethical business practices, ensuring students graduate with the knowledge and skills to tackle complex global challenges with sustainable and responsible business solutions.
Knauss offers small class sizes capped at 35 students, allowing for personalized faculty mentorship and deeper classroom engagement. The university’s flexible academic structure enables students to change majors at any time without restrictions, supporting exploration and academic growth.
The Knauss Student Success Center provides students with a holistic, business-specific support system, offering personalized academic advising, career coaching, and industry connections.
Students can choose from nine business majors including: Accountancy, Business Accounting, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Business Economics, Economics, Finance, International Business, Marketing, Real Estate, and Supply Chain Management.
SENIOR THESIS
The senior thesis is one of the cornerstone experiences at San Diego. It’s a year-long project where students take their cumulative business knowledge and apply it to a topic of their choice.
One thing that makes the senior thesis experience unique at San Diego is the free-reign that students get in exploring a topic that they are truly passionate about. Faculty at San Diego actively encourages students to explore novel topics that they are interested in. Additionally, students are given the freedom to execute research and analysis how they want.
RECENT INNOVATIONS
The Knauss School of Business has undergone a major transformation, aligning resources to enhance student success. The Knauss Student Success Center was launched to consolidate academic advising, career planning, and professional development services, ensuring every student has both an academic advisor and a dedicated Professional Development Manager (PDM) aligned with their major. The PDM team specializes in business disciplines such as Accounting, Business Analytics, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Marketing, International Business, Real Estate, and Supply Chain Management.
To bridge the classroom and real-world experiences, the school introduced career-focused verticals that integrate industry-specific job boards, professional organizations, and networking opportunities into each student’s academic journey. Signature networking events such as Talent on Tap and Knauss Networking Nights connect students directly with potential employers, while Torero Treks provide behind-the-scenes industry exposure in finance, biotech, startups, consulting, and marketing.
A key innovation is the Daniel Rivetti and Dennis Zocco Finance Lab, which features over 40 Bloomberg Terminals—one of the largest Bloomberg facilities in the country. This cutting-edge lab provides students with hands-on experience in financial market analysis, investment research, and real-world financial decision-making.
GLOBAL EXPERIENCES & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Knauss places a strong emphasis on global business education, offering students opportunities to study abroad in over 30 countries and 76 cities. The International Double Degree Programs allow students to earn two degrees in four years by studying at USD and one of its international partner institutions, including EM Strasbourg (France), Católica-Lisbon (Portugal), John Cabot University (Italy), and Comillas Pontificia (ICADE) in Spain.
For entrepreneurial students, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Catalyzer provides mentorship, resources, and funding opportunities to develop innovative startups. The Fowler Business Concept Challenge awards up to $45,000 in scholarships for students with high-impact business ideas, while the Torero Venture Lab gives students an experiential approach to launching their own startups.
ALUMNI SAY
“NAIOP University Challenge truly propelled the start of my career and it was an amazing educational experience.”
“Tamarindo, a consulting project for the SIBC that was established to teach financial literacy to small business owners in El Salvador. It was important to me because it gave me the opportunity to do something impactful for a disadvantaged community.”
“I truly would not be where I am if it were not for receiving my education at the Knauss school of business. There are many people at my company who have higher positions higher paying jobs and more experience overall, but they have never learned about the stuff that I learned at USD and I am able to teach them and that’s pretty cool.”
“I did a year-long thesis research on a subject of my choosing and under the guidance of a faculty member. Unique vs typical coursework because of the length and breadth of research as well as encouragement to explore novel topics (for example, mine was on baseball, the industry I planned on entering after graduation).”
“I went on the Second year experience to Florence, Italy. This experience was one of my favorite USD experiences and it allowed me to learn and explore all over Italy. It instilled in me a love of travel and gave me an international mindset”
