The University’s Freeman College of Management was recently ranked No. 17 in the top 20 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2022” by Poets&Quants for Undergrads, a popular publication for news about undergraduate business education. 

“In 2017, we were given the opportunity to create a world-class student experience in and outside the classroom in our newly formed Freeman College of Management. Our faculty, with the support of loyal alumni, created a cutting-edge curriculum grounded in the liberal arts within four short years, and it is rewarding to know that it resonates powerfully with prospective students, alumni and recruiters. Our overall ranking as the No. 19 business school in the nation is a testament to the distinct strengths of a Bucknell University and Freeman College education,” Raquel Alexander, the Kenneth W. Freeman Professor and Dean of the Freeman College of Management said. 

According to a University press release from Mike Ferlazzo, director of media relations at Bucknell, Poets&Quants for Undergrads created its list by combining a survey of more than 5,400 alumni and school-reported data.

The survey asked different questions in regard to “faculty availability, extracurricular opportunities and accessibility of the alumni network,” Ferlazzo said.

The rankings also took into account average SAT scores, acceptance rates, average high school GPA for recent admittees and the percent of students that were reported at least National Merit semi-finalists. A more detailed description of the ranking criteria can be found here. 

Alexander also took to social media to share her excitement. 

“I am grateful for the dedication and vision of trustees, loyal alumni, and faculty that made it possible to reach the Top 20 just four short years after forming the college. ’ray Bucknell!” she shared via LinkedIn. 

Through Alexander, she also pointed out that the University is the only school in the top 20 list to exclusively focus on undergraduate studies. 

“I was super excited to hear about the recent rankings, but I was not at all surprised. The Professors in the Freeman College provide a top-tier education and truly prepare students for life beyond Bucknell. Between the diversity of courses offered, alumni networking events, and hands-on experience, there is no doubt in my mind that the Management School at Bucknell is among the best in the country” Sophie Downey, a third-year Management & Organizations major, said.

Other students shared similar sentiments for the school. 

Renne Venico ’22, a Markets, Innovations & Designs major, is hopeful that the College will expand to include more majors and courses in the future. 

“The liberal arts integration is also really unique among undergraduate management schools so I’m hopeful the high ranking we received from Poets & Quants will bring in more talented students from across the world to hop on board,” Venico said. 

Liza Heyl ’22 and Nikki Bott ’22, both also MIDE majors, chose the University for the unique major options. 

“I think our majors and classes really make us stand out amongst other undergraduate business s schools because we stray away from traditional majors and offer more exciting and creative majors,” Bott said. 

Abby Tate ’22, now a Finance Major, went into detail about her experience in the College. 

“I knew I wanted to live in NYC and do something in the business realm when I was in high school. I just didn’t know what exactly, and that’s what brought me to Bucknell. The liberal arts education allowed me to dabble in a bunch of disciplines and there was also the strong alumni pull to NYC,” Tate said. 

Through her time at the University, Tate was split between pursuing a degree in Finance or as a MIDE. Eventually, she chose Finance because she wanted to improve her quantitative skills. 

Speaking about the professors in the College of Management, Tate said, “Not only are they passionate about the topics they teach, they really care about you as a person and your personal career goals. I don’t think you can get this level of 1:1 time at other business/management schools.”