2021 Best Colleges for Finance & Financial Management
Approximately 52,676 finance and financial management degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many choices it can be a daunting task finding the best choice. This year's Best Colleges for Finance & Financial Management ranking analyzed 317 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in finance and financial management. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 15% of colleges for Finance & Financial Management students.
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Choosing a Great Finance & Financial Management School
Your choice of finance and financial management school matters. Important measures of a quality finance program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The lowest ranked school in our list is in the top 27% of our overall quality ranking while the vast majority are in at least the top 12%.
Above Average Earnings After Graduation
A finance and financial management degree from schools on this list usually results in higher than average salaries following graduation. While the average finance and financial management bachelors degree from U.S. colleges results in an average starting salary of $48,186, graduates of colleges on this list average $64,032.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Finance & Financial Management students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other finance and financial management students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized finance and financial management related accrediting body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for Finance & Financial Management students.
Best Schools to Study Finance & Financial Management in the United States
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities to study finance and financial management. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Top 25 Best Finance Colleges
University of Pennsylvania is among your best bets if you want to study finance and financial management. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of 9 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great college overall.
There are about 738 finance and financial management undergraduates studying this degree at UPenn. University of Pennsylvania finance and financial management graduates make $43,668 more than the typical finance student.
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Bentley University is among your top options if you're planning on studying finance and financial management. Bentley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Waltham. A Best Colleges rank of 63 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Bentley is a great school overall.
There are approximately 266 finance and financial management undergraduates enrolled in this degree at Bentley. After graduating, finance students typically make an average of $61,300 in their early careers.
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It's hard to beat Boston College if you want to pursue finance and financial management as a major. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill. A Best Colleges rank of 61 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Boston College also offers 2 different higher degree levels in finance and financial management, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Boston College finance and financial management graduates earn $4,468 more than the average finance student.
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Georgetown University is a good decision for individuals pursuing a Finance & Financial Management degree. Located in the city Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 55 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great college overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Georgetown also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Georgetown University finance and financial management students make $17,368 more than the average finance student.
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Located in the small city Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of 44 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Lehigh is a great school overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Lehigh also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Students from the finance and financial management degree program at Lehigh University make $4,168 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Located in the suburb Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 14 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great college overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Notre Dame also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Finance & Financial Management students from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,068 above the typical earnings of finance and financial management graduates.
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Located in the large suburb Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 78 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great college overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Villanova offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Villanova University finance and financial management students make $4,268 more than the typical finance grad.
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SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. This college ranks 114th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, SMU offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Southern Methodist University finance and financial management students earn $4,068 more than the standard finance grad.
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Located in the city New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 108th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Tulane offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Students who graduate from the finance program earn an average of $62,800 in their early career salary.
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SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of 68 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great college overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, SCU also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Finance & Financial Management majors from Santa Clara University get a earnings boost of about $4,068 above the average income of finance and financial management graduates.
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Bryant is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Smithfield. This college ranks 228th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Bryant also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, finance students usually make an average of $56,500 in the first five years of their career.
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Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of 37 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great college overall.
With 108 students enrolled, Wake Forest University is one of most popular colleges to study finance in United States. Wake Forest University finance and financial management students make $7,868 more than the standard finance grad.
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Located in the large city San Diego, U of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 162nd out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There are approximately 216 finance and financial management undergrads studying this program at U of San Diego. Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, finance students typically make about $57,800 in the first five years of their career.
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Located in the city Providence, Providence is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. This college ranks 145th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.
There are approximately 181 finance and financial management undergraduates studying this degree at Providence. Graduates of the finance program report average early career wages of $53,200.
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Located in the suburb College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 117th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, UMCP also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. After graduation, finance students generally earn around $64,600 at the beginning of their careers.
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Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of 99 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Elon is a great school overall.
There are approximately 199 finance and financial management undergrads enrolled in this program at Elon. Students who graduate from the finance program make an average of $59,400 in the first couple years of working.
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Located in the large city New York, Baruch is a public school with a large student population. This school ranks 466th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There are roughly 942 finance and financial management undergrads studying this degree at Baruch. After getting their bachelor's degree, finance students typically earn an average of $46,900 in their early careers.
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Located in the city Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. This school ranks 103rd out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
University of Miami is a fairly popular school to study finance in United States with over 286 graduations last year. After graduation, finance students typically make around $58,500 in the first five years of their career.
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Located in the suburb Newark, U of Delaware is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 87 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means U of Delaware is a great college overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, U of Delaware also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Students who graduate from the finance program make about $58,900 for their early career.
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Located in the large city Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 127th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Creighton offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Graduates of the finance program earn about $53,600 in their early career salary.
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Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing. This college ranks 107th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
For those interested in something more advanced, Michigan State also offers 2 different higher degree levels in finance and financial management, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Graduates of the finance program earn about $55,300 for their early career.
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Located in the city Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This school ranks 225th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
With 182 students enrolled, Saint Joseph's University is one of most popular schools to study finance in United States. After getting their bachelor's degree, finance students typically earn about $57,100 at the beginning of their careers.
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Wisconsin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of 76 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Wisconsin is a great college overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Wisconsin offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Graduates of the finance program earn around $60,900 for their early career.
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Located in the suburb Fairfield, Fairfield U is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 185th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
There are about 147 finance and financial management undergraduates studying this degree at Fairfield U. After graduating, finance students generally earn an average of $57,800 in the first five years of their career.
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U of Denver is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Denver. This college ranks 176th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, U of Denver also offers a Master's Degree in finance and financial management. Students who complete this program state that they receive average early career wages of $56,900.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Finance & Financial Management students that almost earned our Best Colleges for Finance & Financial Management award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
48 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
49 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
50 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
51 | Rutgers University - Newark | Newark, NJ |
52 | Wofford College | Spartanburg, SC |
53 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
54 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
55 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
56 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
57 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
58 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
59 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
60 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
61 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
62 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
63 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
Finance & Financial Management by Region
View the Best Colleges for Finance & Financial Management for a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Finance
Finance & Financial Management is one of 21 different types of Business, Management & Marketing programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Business Administration & Management | 410,147 |
Accounting | 105,123 |
General Business/Commerce | 58,451 |
Marketing | 51,241 |
Human Resource Management | 26,823 |
View All Finance Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Dave Dugdale. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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Grand Canyon University (GCU)
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Northcentral University
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Colorado Technical University (CTU)
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