Poets&Quants Top Business Schools

Villanova University School of Business

#12

Contact our general manager with any questions. Profile updated: January 23, 2024.

Contact Information

Location:
Admissions Office:
610-519-3013

Tuition & Fees In-State: $310,884*

Tuition & Fees Out-of-State: $310,884*

Average Salary: $83,008

Graduates With Jobs 90 Days After Graduation: 97%

International: 12%

Minority: 12%

First generation college students: 8%

When do students declare their majors: Freshman Year

Acceptance Rate: 18%

Average SAT: 1,458

Average ACT: 33

Average GPA: 4.29

HS Class Top Ten: 77%**

*The total cost of the degree over four years for the most recent graduating class inclusive of school fees, room, board, or living expenses.

** HS Class Top Ten is the percent of the student population that graduated high school in the top ten percent of their class.

*** Please note that these statistics are provided for the business school major only whenever possible. If a school does not track these statistics separately, then the university-wide statistics are provided.

The Villanova School of Business climbed a few places in this year’s 2023 rankings, coming in at No. 11 compared to last year’s No. 14. Overall, Villanova ranked 12th in Career Outcomes, 16th in Admissions, and 15th in Academic Experience in the ranking’s three methodological categories.

The B-school’s acceptance rate for their incoming class was 18% this year – just a touch less exclusive than last year’s 16.80%, but more selective than last year’s rate of 18.89%. This year’s incoming class reported an average SAT score of 1458, and their scores have been trending upwards year after year. Last year’s score was 1447, climbing almost 20 points from the previous year’s score of 1428.

VSB students are well-prepared for their careers, with even more of the Class of 2023, a solid 98.10%, securing a business-focused internship before graduation as compared to last year’s 97.36%. Employment outcomes were already impressive, and they still are, though they are slightly down from last year’s 99.71%, with a still great 96.74% of the Class of 2023 landing a full-time position within three months of graduation.

CURRICULUM

As a Catholic university, Villanova is founded on Augustinian values of community and leading with service. The Villanova business education is one that embraces these values while preparing students with the skills needed to become future business leaders. Almost half of the required courses VSB students take come from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. By requiring students to take courses outside business, VSB ensures that its students are gaining the fundamental values that the university as a whole embraces. 

VSB students begin taking business courses in their freshman year and continue through core requirements during sophomore year. In their junior and senior years, VSB students focus on their major and minor coursework. Much of the core curriculum is designed to give students an understanding of not only business skills, but the societal values that help drive business. 

One such course is “Business Dynamics,” a required first-year course that emphasizes the purpose of business within society. Through the course, VSB students gain an understanding of the global, political, ethical, and technological dimensions of business.

With small class sizes, VSB also ensures its students are getting the support they need. 

BACKPACK TO BRIEFCASE

VSB offers a number of experiential learning opportunities for students to gain necessary business skills. One example is the “Backpack to Briefcase” (B2B) initiative, a program that integrates career development into the core business curriculum throughout the students’ four-year education. B2B is designed to give students opportunities to not only learn about business skills, but apply those skills in simulated real-world situations. 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

A VSB student can choose to co-major/minor in International Business, where he or she learns how to manage and communicate across cultures or even take part in the Global Citizens Program, a 16-week overseas study experience that combines academic coursework with a practical internship located in either London or Singapore. All of these types of programs are designed to give students a different perspective to the world of business. 

Overall, the VSB education is one that embraces Villanova’s Augustinian values and develops business leaders who not only know the skills of running and leading business, but the ethics that drive society as well. No doubt, Villanova is in a crowded undergraduate business education market in Philadelphia. But the school holds its own against its fellow Philly-based Ivy League business school, Wharton.

Alumni say:

There were a few, but one was getting to pick a company (my group picked Electronic Arts) and dissecting it from a business perspective through as many lenses as possible: industry, competitors, value proposition, vertical/horizontal integration, and so many more I can’t remember. It was important because I now view companies differently when reading about them in the news or trying to understand what they’re all about in my free time”

“I participated in a study abroad and internship program in Shanghai, China. Experiencing a different culture working an internship in a different country was transformative for me, as this was my first time traveling outside of the United States. I not only enjoyed the experience, but I believe it prepared me and made me a more well-rounded candidate for future internships and eventually the full time employment search.”

“I studied abroad in Urbino, Italy and had the opportunity to take a required business course abroad. As part of the course, our class had the opportunity to work with a local Italian small business and help the company come up with a 60 page marketing plan which includes customer segmentation, competitive analysis of various regions in the U.S., among others. This experience provided me a lot of exposure as I not only had a chance to work directly with an external client and present our findings to the client, but I also found it a valuable experience being able to learn about an Italian business and work in a different cultural setting with my team members. It was fun, exciting, new and a worthwhile experience.”

“Worked with IKEA to develop a marketing plan tied to an assignment they shared with the class at the start of the semester. Presented to IKEA executives at the end of the semester. Content learned throughout the course greatly added value to our deliverable at the end of the semester.”

“The business school had a required class in which students would compete in teams of 10 to solve real-world business issues, with frequent contact from actual members of the company. Students would have the opportunity to present solutions at the end of the semester. The course gave me invaluable real-world experience while still in school and established my base network in the business world.”