by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 51,779 people earned their degree in finance, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 46,671 finance graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major” ranking looked at 686 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in finance. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their finance program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree finance students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Menlo College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major. Menlo is located in Atherton, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major list. Baruch College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,006 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 686 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bentley University landed the #3 spot on the list. Bentley University is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 257 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 686 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bryant University landed the #4 spot on the list. Bryant University is located in Smithfield, Rhode Island and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 168 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Out of the 686 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Providence College landed the #5 spot on the list. Providence is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 215 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Fairfield University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #6. Fairfield U is a medium-sized school located in Fairfield, Connecticut that handed out 165 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Wofford College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #7. Wofford College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It awarded 51 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Lehigh University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 203 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
University of Puerto Rico - Carolina ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major list. This small school is located in Carolina, , and it awarded 56 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
Elon University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Elon, North Carolina, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 159 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s finance students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Benedictine College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. Benedictine College is located in Atchison, Kansas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Saint Norbert College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. SNC is a private not-for-profit institution located in De Pere, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Southern Methodist University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. SMU is a fairly large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 297 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Boston College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 348 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Susquehanna University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #15. Susquehanna University is a small school located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania that handed out 40 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Saint Anselm College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. St. Anselm College is located in Manchester, New Hampshire and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #17. UMN Crookston is a small school located in Crookston, Minnesota that handed out 32 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
Ouachita Baptist University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. Ouachita Baptist is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. It awarded 31 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Muhlenberg College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major list. Muhlenberg is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Wittenberg University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major list. Springfield, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
Lyon College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. This small school is located in Batesville, Arkansas, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
Butler University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major list. Butler is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 101 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Iona College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #23. This small school is located in New Rochelle, New York, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.
Quincy University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking. Quincy U is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.
Villanova University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Finance Major ranking, coming in at #25. Villanova is a private not-for-profit institution located in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 257 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
| 52 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 53 | John Carroll University | University Heights, OH |
| 54 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 55 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 56 | Thomas College | Waterville, ME |
| 57 | St. Bonaventure University | Saint Bonaventure, NY |
| 58 | Bethany College Kansas | Lindsborg, KS |
| 59 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 60 | Siena College | Loudonville, NY |
| 61 | University of Tulsa | Tulsa, OK |
| 62 | University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 63 | Bethany College West Virginia | Bethany, WV |
| 64 | Drury University | Springfield, MO |
| 65 | Illinois College | Jacksonville, IL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 91 | Missouri Valley College | Marshall, MO |
| 91 | National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension | Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD |
| 91 | Goldey - Beacom College | Wilmington, DE |
| 95 | Salve Regina University | Newport, RI |
| 96 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 97 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 98 | Abilene Christian University | Abilene, TX |
| 99 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 100 | University of St. Thomas | Houston, TX |
| 101 | Trinity University | San Antonio, TX |
| 102 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 103 | University of Houston - Downtown | Houston, TX |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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