The Princeton Review^® and Entrepreneur magazine today announced the results of The Princeton Review’s annual survey naming the Top Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2022.

“Iowa State University has maintained our impressive #11 national ranking for undergraduate programs. That’s an amazing accomplishment coming off the heels of a global pandemic when young entrepreneurs were tasked with moving to virtual education,” said Raisbeck Endowed Dean David Spalding.

This year, The Princeton Review^® also tallied sub-lists that name the schools among the 100 overall that ranked highest within their regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, and International.

Iowa State ranks #3 in the Midwest and has the highest ranking of any university in the state.

“We chose the schools for these lists based on our summer 2021 survey of administrators at nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate schools offering entrepreneurship studies. Our survey had more than 60 questions. We analyzed more than 40 survey data points to select the schools for our lists and tally our rankings,” Princeton Review officials announced in a news release.

Entrepreneurship has been a theme at Iowa State for more than 25 years with much of it revolving around programs offered through the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and the Ivy College of Business. Also, “Innovate at Iowa State” is a theme at Iowa State that encourages innovation across campus.

Even though this is a university ranking, the Ivy College of Business is most heavily impacted. “The Ivy College of Business launched an undergraduate major in entrepreneurship in the fall 2017 to serve those who have a passion for entrepreneurship, and we have more than 100 students in this major,” Spalding said.  “With the launch of the major, we are drawing students from the region who want to study in a highly ranked entrepreneurship program.”

This fall, the Ivy entrepreneurship major made it into the U.S. News & World Report ranking for the first time at #32, after only launching the program four years ago.

The college also launched a PhD program in entrepreneurship in 2017, which was only the eighth in the country at the time. The university has also offered a minor in entrepreneurship for many years, which is open to all Iowa State students.

“Our high ranking is a testament to the dedication and talent of Ivy and Iowa State faculty and staff, who continue to offer high quality academic programs for our students,” Spalding said. “We are thrilled to be offering more programs that support entrepreneurs and their future businesses.”

“Here at the college, we could not be more excited about this news. When you look at the many new programs we have launched to meet the needs of our students, their future employers, and entrepreneurs who strive to start their own business, and also at our improved rankings over the past six years, you will understand why we are known as a college on the move.”

The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, which is part of the Ivy College of Business, offers innovative programs, such as CYstarters, Startup Factory and CyBIZ Lab, to connect students, community entrepreneurs, business professionals and alumni.

“Hands-on learning opportunities are key to the entrepreneurship learning experience,” Spalding said. “By embedding innovation and entrepreneurship more deeply into its culture and curriculum, Iowa State is creating a unique pathway for its students to change the world.”