The University of Nebraska–Lincoln debuted at No. 42 in the world and No. 12 in the Midwest in The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Top 50 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs rankings.
The list includes the 50 undergraduate institutions with the best offerings in entrepreneurship studies for 2025. Based on a survey, The Princeton Review conducted in the summer of 2024 of administrators at nearly 300 schools, the ranking tallies took into account more than 25 data points about the schools’ entrepreneurship programs, faculties, students and alumni.
"The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s recognition is a testament to our dynamic, cross-university collaboration and comprehensive ecosystem that nurtures innovation," said Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett. "Nebraska was one of the first institutions to dedicate a Center for Entrepreneurship more than 35 years ago. From the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts to the Clifton Builders Program and the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, our students benefit from a network of outstanding entrepreneurship resources."
The five areas across the university worked together to submit data for The Princeton Review's survey. Sam Nelson, director of the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management, and his team initiated the collaborative effort.
Through the process, they found that the university awards more than $357,000 annually to aspiring entrepreneurs through competitions and scholarships. Also, students who take entrepreneurship courses represent 92 of 120 majors offered at the university, and 84% of the faculty who teach the entrepreneurship courses started, ran or bought a business.
"We have an outstanding entrepreneurial ecosystem at Nebraska, and this ranking helps to get the word out about all of our offerings at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln," Nelson said. "The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship is proud to be at the heart of this effort, driving innovation and empowering students to build, create and lead. We often say, 'Entrepreneurial success starts here,' and our center is a great starting point for everyone to get connected to the resources and people who can best help them. This recognition reflects our commitment to fueling the entrepreneurial spirit across the university for all students in any major, so Nebraska graduates are prepared to create the future.”
Megan Elliott, the Johnny Carson Endowed Director in Emerging Media Arts, said UNL's entrepreneurial activities happen globally.
"This ranking is testimony to the interdisciplinary collaborations and experiential-based learning opportunities that take place across campus. Emerging media arts students partner with business and engineering students to solve human-scale problems and win business cases. These kinds of frictionless and exciting student-centric opportunities are rare and are why we are being celebrated," Elliott said. "I’m excited that Fortune 100 companies like Infosys are partnering with the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts on entrepreneurship and storytelling internships on their Bangalore, India, campus."
Read more about the five areas at https://go.unl.edu/vma3.
--Sheri Irwin-Gish, College of Business