The Foster School of Business at the University of Washington finished No. 32 on P&Q’s 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. In our three methodological categories, it finished No. 31 in Admission Standards, No. 22 in Career Outcomes, and No. 65 in Academic Experience (based solely on our alumni survey).
The B-school’s acceptance rate for the fall 2024 incoming class was 18.3%. The class also reported a six-year graduation rate of 98%.
In career data, 97% of grads completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation for the last two classes. Some 92.77% of 2024 grads found jobs within three months, compared to 94.92% of 2023 grads.
Average salary for the most recent graduates was $76,688, with 43.0% of them reporting an average signing bonus of $8,289. The top employers included Deloitte, EY, PwC, Boeing, Amazon, KPMG, Moss Adams, PitchBook, Accenture, and Microsoft.
A ‘TWO-YEAR’ BUSINESS EDUCATION
The Foster program is best characterized by a quality curriculum that emphasizes group work and an abundance of resources and opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in the real world.
Foster is technically a two-year undergraduate business program, with standard admission to the B-school taking place at the end of sophomore year once a student has been admitted to UW. Although students have the option to apply as a direct admit as a freshman applicant, which continues to be an increasingly popular path to the school.
Admitted students can choose from the following business majors: accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, human resources management, information systems, marketing, and operations and supply chain management.
One of the most significant changes in recent years is the introduction of a business minor open to all UW students, designed in a hybrid modality to offer greater flexibility for non-business majors interested in developing foundational business skills.
Foster also offers a Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB), a rigorous and integrative supplement to its business degree. CISB students take part in study abroad, foreign language immersion, and area studies coursework.
For ambitious students, the Fosters Honors Program offers an intensified academic experience with opportunities for research and class-based projects, honors sections, and greater access with researchers and practitioners. Honors students graduate from the Foster School “With Distinction.”
All Foster business students need to complete 72 business credits, of which a minimum of 53 need to be upper division. Additionally, because the B-school requires a large portion of the curriculum come from upper division courses, many of the classes that Foster students take require a group project and presentation.
CASE COMPETITIONS AND CAPSTONE PROJECTS
Where Foster really shines as a B-school is in its opportunities for students to apply their studies to real-world situations. Foster is home to six state of the art centers that drive innovative research and enable students to gain real-world, hands-on experiences. Foster centers include Consulting and Business Development, Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, Global Business Center, Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking, Center for Sales and Marketing Strategy, and USTC-UW Institute for Global Business and Finance Innovation.
Additionally, Foster hosts a number of case competitions that allow students the opportunity to solve real-world problems, join a team, network with business leaders, and collaborate with peers in an intense team-driven environment.
ALUMNI SAY
“Studied abroad through the business school in India interacting with NGOs. It was an important networking with peers experience and insight into solving real world problems through business.”
“We were consultants for Women in Cloud which was great exposure to the tech industry and real leaders. I learned more from my internships to be successful at this project.”
“The Capstone case competition I did before graduation was for T-Mobile, and our team had the honor of winning that quarter. From analyzing a business problem to creating all-around strategic solutions and recommendations in such a short time, it gave us a sneak peek into the enterprise business world. As business students, we had to condense and collaborate with all our knowledge and creativity to present our project – which felt like a simulation of a realistic task. It helped us visualize our abilities as a fresh grad.”
“The reputation/brand of the University of Washington was instrumental in landing a job in my desired field, in a different state, and at a competitive salary with little networking and prior experience only three months after graduation.”
