The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis rose five places to No. 6 in Poets&Quants’ 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs.
Of the three methodological categories, they landed at No. 6 in both Admission Standards and Career Outcomes. In Academic Experience, as measured by our alumni survey, they ranked No. 22 of 104 ranked programs.
Olin’s acceptance rate was 11% for the fall 2024 incoming class, the same as the year prior. The school also posted the third highest 6-year graduate rate at 97.98% and fifth highest average SAT score at 1505.
Class of 2024 graduates had a 95.4% employment rate within three months of graduation, down slightly from the 96.14% rate for 2023 graduates. 2024 graduates also posted an average salary of $91,111 and 72% reported getting a signing bonus of an average $11,344. Further, 97% of graduates secured a business-specific internship before graduation.
The top employers for 2024 graduates include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Dimension Fund Advisors, Jeffries, JP Morgan, AlphaSights, UBS, Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs.
PURPOSE DRIVEN AND EXPERIENTIAL
Olin’s four-year business degree is purpose-driven, experiential, and collaborative. It is also interdisciplinary with 40% of degree requirements obtained outside of the business school. It offers a variety of majors including Accounting; Economics & Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Financial Engineering; Healthcare Management; Organization & Strategic Management; Marketing; and Supply Chain, Operations, & Technology.
The program continues to innovate: Its Financial Engineering major has been updated in collaboration with the McKelvey School of Engineering, providing students with an enhanced, interdisciplinary approach to finance and engineering. Olin also offers a Business + Computer Science joint degree, developed in partnership with McKelvey, equipping students with a strong foundation in both fields. To further integrate career preparation into the curriculum, career education content is now embedded in the required Management Communications course.
With a curriculum that’s grounded in teaching values and offering a global perspective, the Olin Business School delivers a strong, modern-day business education. Olin students get the opportunity to earn a strong business education in an urban Midwestern setting.
A GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
While the Olin Business School itself is located in St. Louis, Missouri, the education itself is global – and it is based in an interesting spot in a revitalized Midwestern city with a lot of startup, tech, and entrepreneurial momentum.
Olin students have a “Global Mindset” degree requirement — a framework designed to ensure every undergraduate can gain international business experience, whether or not they travel abroad.
Students can take advantage of a new summer study abroad program in London, which focuses on the business management of arts organizations, offering a unique international learning experience.
The Olin curriculum features 11 courses that offer a significant global business component, which we define as at least a third of the coursework. Additionally, students have access to 175 semester abroad opportunities with 19 of them being business-specific.
Some 54% of the Class of 2024 had some sort of global experience, lasting at least four weeks.
VALUES-BASED EDUCATION
The Olin curriculum is designed to give students a holistic, values-based education. One that gives them a strong foundation in business, but also an understanding of aspects outside of their world of business too. Olin students are required to complete at least 40% of their classes in areas other than business.
What makes Olin unique is that many of the experiences offered are rooted in the idea of using business to create social change in real communities.
One of the most popular experiences is the Taylor Community Consulting Program, which matches Olin students with nonprofits in need of fresh perspectives and actionable recommendations. Teams of two to four students are assigned to a six-week project and each student must contribute at least 75 hours of work. The students conclude the project with a final presentation. Through these projects, students gain experience in a variety of management functions including market research, brand auditing, strategic planning, and financial and operational assessment — all while making a real social impact.
ALUMNI SAY
“The Center for Experiential Learning was a major part of my college experience. The consulting work I conducted was not only pivotal in my business education, but came up in every post-grad interview as a uniquely Olin experience that prepared me for my work at McKinsey.”
“We had extensive experiential learning opportunities and all were very helpful. I suggest even having more. Nothing can beat it. I went on a program in Israel as well as other on campus programs.”
“Center for Experiential Learning consulting projects with local businesses were the most valuable experiences of my business education – personally, and professionally. I still highlight them on my resume and in interviews.”
“Israel Student Business Academy was a phenomenal addition to my education. It introduced me to a whole new world of startup ecosystems, innovation and great people.”
“It’s extremely holistic and well rounded. I love that I got to dive into high level finance classes while also dabbling in computer science, entrepreneurship, and strategy!”
“Exceptional business program that consistently sends BSBA students to top firms in NYC, Chicago, and SF. In recent years, Investment Banking and Finance recruiting has been improving with students placing at top firms such as Evercore, Centerview, and PWP.”
