Best Colleges for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Students who are aspiring entrepreneurs and looking for the best educational opportunities to help them fulfill their dreams need to take the college selection process seriously. While many colleges can provide a great learning opportunity for students, there are certain institutions that specifically focus on entrepreneurship. If you are looking for an entrepreneur-friendly college, consider some of the following options.

List of Best Colleges for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Baylor University

The school has the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise, has an entrepreneurship major and has their own Baylor Angel Network investment engine.

Syracuse 

This University has an entire entrepreneurship department through their Whitman School of Management and has a strong relationship with the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship.

Boston University

Students at this institution can pursue a degree with an entrepreneurship concentration, and the school has its own Entrepreneurship Programs Office with accelerator events, competitions, mentoring programs and start-up camps.

University of Texas Austin

This University is home to the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship at the McCombs School of Business. It also has a number of fellowships for entrepreneurs and their own on-campus incubators.

Cornell University

This school has its own Entrepreneur Network at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. The school also has a variety of resources for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Berkeley

The Haas School of Business’s Lester Center for Entrepreneurship is known for its accelerator program and for helping launch several successful startups. The school also has the famous Lean Launch Pad class taught by Steve Blank.

Finding Schools With Networking Opportunities

When it comes to finding the best college, aspiring entrepreneurs need to not only find a school that lets them study entrepreneurship, but one that also offers a number of networking opportunities. As any seasoned entrepreneur knows, networking is one of the best tools to building a strong company. Any school that promotes entrepreneurship should help students find valuable networking opportunities so that their students can meet mentors, other entrepreneurs, investors, potential partners and more, all while they are learning the basics of running their own business while in the classroom.

Finding Colleges That Teach Independence

There are many reasons why certain colleges tend to be better than others for aspiring entrepreneurs. One of the biggest differences with these colleges is that they truly focus on teaching independence. While college in general is an opportunity for students to learn to be more independent, these colleges really do focus on promoting independence in students — and for good reason. Young entrepreneurs looking to make it in today’s market need to learn to be independent. Their first ventures into the professional world will not include mentors, a seasoned boss or a staff of peers to help them through their first real jobs.

Entrepreneurs need to be independent and to figure out a lot of things on their own, without help from a boss or mentor. Colleges that promote this type of independence are preparing students in the best way possible to handle the rigors of entrepreneurship once they enter the real world.