IU Kelley School of Business moves up in Bloomberg Businessweek rankings for fifth straight year

Recruiters ranked school No. 1 for student quality for second consecutive year

  • April 4, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business moved up five positions to eighth overall in today’s Bloomberg Businessweek rankings of undergraduate programs. This is the fifth consecutive year Kelley’s undergraduate program has risen in the rankings. It has been ranked in the Top 20 for the eight-year history of the Businessweek survey and has risen by 12 positions in the past five years.

Companies that recruit Kelley’s graduates ranked the school No. 1 for the second consecutive year, up from fourth two years ago and eighth three years ago. Kelley's job placement activities and facilities and services received an “A-plus” grade, and the school also received an “A” for teaching quality.

Kelley is the only Big Ten school ranked in the Top 10 and was third among undergraduate business programs at public universities.

"These rankings attest to the quality of Kelley's undergraduate education, its exceptional teaching and research facilities, and its continually growing reputation as a destination of choice for the nation's next business leaders," IU Bloomington Provost Lauren Robel said. "They are also a tribute to Kelley's faculty and staff, who dedicate themselves on a daily basis to ensuring our students leave IU with the skills, experience and business acumen necessary to make a real impact in their communities."

Among the factors contributing to the Kelley School’s success are the program’s curriculum, particularly the Kelley Compass, an intensive "student talent management system" for personal and professional development based on the corporate world, and the program's emphasis on creating a transformational student experience both in and out of the classroom, ensuring student facility with global business, ethics and critical thinking.

"We are thrilled with the strong climb in the rankings," said Idalene Kesner, dean of the Kelley School and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. "This is especially impressive given that we're in the midst of a major construction project for a new undergraduate building. The Hodge Hall Undergraduate Center will open in the fall, and we anticipate this state-of-the-art facility will have an even more positive impact on our students' experience at Kelley."

The renovation and expansion of the Hodge Hall Undergraduate Center will expand the existing building by nearly 90,000 square feet. In addition to class and gathering space, it will house the Indiana Business Research Center, a behavioral research lab, 3M sales and business communications lab, and a stock-trading room. Named for alumnus James R. Hodge in honor of his $15 million gift, the $60 million project is completely privately funded through gifts from alumni, strategic partners and a $33 million Lilly Endowment grant.

"It's wonderful to have this positive momentum as we approach the final phase of our building project," Kesner said. "We're even more proud of the continued No. 1 ranking in career services. This shows that our students know the quality of their education is most important."

The top employee survey rank is attributed to Kelley's holistic approach to undergraduate business education and the positive impact it has on the Kelley student, along with the school's commitment to diversity. Ninety-four percent of Kelley students who work with its Undergraduate Career Services Office reported full-time job or graduate school acceptance within three months, earning a median starting salary of $55,000. The median for all schools in Bloomberg Businessweek's survey was $51,000.

With an enrollment of approximately 5,000, the Kelley School has the largest undergraduate enrollment in Bloomberg Businessweek's Top 10. With annual resident tuition of $8,919, the cost of an IU Kelley degree is about one-fourth of most of the schools ranked in Bloomberg Businessweek's Top 10.

This year overall, 28,842 college seniors at 152 schools participated in the survey, in addition to 301 employers.

Bloomberg Businessweek's ranking algorithm used five components, including surveys of graduating senior business majors and employers, median starting salaries for graduates and the number of alumni each program sends to top MBA programs. A calculation of academic quality is also included in the methodology, combining average SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, class size in core business courses, the percentage of students with internships, and the number of hours devoted to class work.

Three other schools in Indiana were ranked: the University of Notre Dame was No. 1, Butler University was 51st and Purdue University was 57th.

Visit Bloomberg Businessweek for more information about the rankings.

Related Links

Idalene Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business

Idalene Kesner | Photo by Indiana University

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Hodge Hall at the IU Kelley School of Business

Hodge Hall at the IU Kelley School of Business | Photo by Josh Anderson

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Media Contacts

George Vlahakis

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Jeni Donlon

  • IU Kelley School of Business
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