Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Business & Commerce Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools

546 Colleges
$43,399 Avg Salary
$26,389 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Business/Commerce School for You

In 2020-2021, 56,042 people earned a degree or certificate in general business/commerce, making the major the #16 most popular in the United States.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 546 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Business/Commerce Schools in the United States

Check out the general business programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools in Business & Commerce

Our 2023 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best school in the United States for general business/commerce students. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

#2

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, general business majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt.

Full General Business/Commerce at University of Notre Dame Report

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best general business/commerce schools in the United States. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Chicago

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Northwestern University

#5

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read More…

#6

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full General Business/Commerce at University of Pennsylvania Report

#7

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

With a ranking of #7, Wake Forest University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general business/commerce students. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, general business majors at Wake Forest University accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.

Read More…

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #8 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

Full General Business/Commerce at The University of Texas at Austin Report

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global ranked #9 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, general business graduates from IWU carry an average student debtload of $25,402.

Read More…

#10

New York University

New York, NY

With a ranking of #10, New York University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general business/commerce students. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, general business graduates from NYU take out $19,231 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $741.

Full General Business/Commerce at New York University Report

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general business/commerce students. It came in at #11 on the list. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

On average, general business graduates from IU Bloomington take out $19,594 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $581.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Indiana University - Bloomington

#12

Anoka-Ramsey Community College

Coon Rapids, MN

Anoka-Ramsey Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.

While working on their degree, general business majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus accumulate an average of around $17,851 in student debt.

Full General Business/Commerce at Anoka-Ramsey Community College Report

Anne Arundel Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

#14

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech ranked #14 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Virginia Tech

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, general business graduates from Mizzou take out $22,500 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $482.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Missouri - Columbia

#16

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL

With a ranking of #16, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general business/commerce students. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Bloomington.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #17 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

Read More…

University of Southern California ranked #18 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full General Business/Commerce at University of Southern California Report

American Public University System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general business/commerce students. It came in at #19 on the list. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

The average amount in student loans that general business majors at American Military University take out is $21,631.

Full General Business/Commerce at American Public University System Report

#20

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general business/commerce programs. UGA is a very large public school located in the city of Athens.

General Business majors at UGA take out an average of $32,325 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Georgia

#21

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools list. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

Read More…

#22

Northeastern University

Boston, MA

Northeastern University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools ranking. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

On average, general business graduates from Northeastern take out $23,500 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $424.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Northeastern University

#23

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general business/commerce programs. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.

Full General Business/Commerce at Johns Hopkins University Report

#24

Walsh College

Troy, MI

Walsh College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general business/commerce programs. Walsh is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy.

On average, general business graduates from Walsh take out $16,401 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full General Business/Commerce at Walsh College Report

#25

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA

Lehigh University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general business/commerce programs. Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full General Business/Commerce at Lehigh University Report

Rest of the Top 50 Best Business & Commerce Schools

#27

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA
#28

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN
#29

Rio Salado College

Tempe, AZ
#30

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD
#31

Baylor University

Waco, TX
#32

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR
#33

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE
#34

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, NY
#35

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA
#38

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN
#39

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN
#40

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR
#41

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS
#42

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX
#44

Montgomery College

Rockville, MD
#47

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN
#50

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Business & Commerce Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 546 different United States general business/commerce schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
52 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
53 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
54 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA
55 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
56 College of Western Idaho Nampa, ID
57 George Washington University Washington, DC
58 Clarkson University Potsdam, NY
59 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
60 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
61 Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA
62 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
63 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN
64 El Centro College Dallas, TX
65 Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ
66 Strayer University - Georgia Atlanta, GA
67 University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX
68 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
69 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
70 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
71 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
72 College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD
73 SUNY Empire State College Saratoga Springs, NY
74 Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Fayette, MO
75 Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND
76 Southwestern University Georgetown, TX
77 Excelsior College Albany, NY
78 Community College of Vermont Montpelier, VT
79 Baker University Baldwin City, KS
80 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
81 Ball State University Muncie, IN

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Business & Commerce students that almost earned our Best Business & Commerce Schools award.

Rank College Location
82 James A Rhodes State College Lima, OH
83 Strayer University - Virginia Arlington, VA
84 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
85 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
86 Strayer University - Global Region Washington, DC
87 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN
88 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA
89 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
90 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
91 Randolph - Macon College Ashland, VA
92 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
93 Strayer University - North Carolina Morrisville, NC
94 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
95 University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD
96 Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
97 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA
98 Purdue University Global Indianapolis, IN
99 University of Cincinnati - Clermont College Batavia, OH
100 Frederick Community College Frederick, MD
101 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
102 Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN
103 Pace University - New York New York, NY
104 DeVry University - Illinois Chicago, IL
105 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
106 Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, NV
107 Strayer University - Maryland Suitland, MD
108 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
109 Strayer University - South Carolina Greenville, SC

General Business/Commerce by Region

View the Best Business & Commerce Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 21 majors within the area of study, general business/commerce has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Business Administration & Management 416,590
Accounting 99,265
Finance & Financial Management 57,778
Marketing 52,916
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 43,382

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 U.S. Consulate General Munich.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.