Rankings and Recognition

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report's latest edition of America's Best Colleges 2012 ranks Bentley University #6 in the Best Regional Universities-North category.

Bentley also was ranked among the top 50 undergraduate business programs in the nation.

In the business specialties category, Bentley’s Management Information Systems ranked #18 nationally and #2 in New England.

Among the top Regional Universities-North, Bentley was also ranked:

  • #3 Highest Graduation Rate: The average proportion of a graduating class who earned a degree in six years or less
  • #3 Average Freshmen Retention Rate: The average proportion of freshmen who entered the school in the fall of 2006 through fall 2009 and returned the following fall. *Bentley's graduation and retention rates have increased over the past decade, highlighting that the university is offering the classes and services students need to succeed.
  • #3 Highest Six-Year Graduation Rate: The average proportion of a graduating class who earned a degree in six years or less
  • #4 Best Value: Based on the relationship of school’s academic quality to net cost of attendance and amount of financial aid they dispense, in the form of need-based grants and scholarships
  • #17 Economic Diversity Among Top 25 Ranked Schools

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review named Bentley one of the nation’s Best Colleges and Universities and one of the "Best Northeastern Schools" for 2011. Student surveys ranked Bentley #6 in the nation for "Best Career Services," up from #12 last year; #14 for the Best College Library, #18 for Dorms Like Palaces, and Bentley was also named to the Fire Safety Honor Roll.

In the university's profile, student comments included:

"Students are pleased with Bentley's abilities to create a “career-bound student while instilling the importance of liberal studies,” and to “prepare you and help you earn a job with all the technical and educational background you need.”

Students also “love that most of the professors have worked outside of academia and can bring … real-world experience and examples to the classroom.”

The administration also receives high marks: It is “truly concerned with students' wants,” “engaging and open to new ideas,” and “very communicative.”

Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranks Bentley among the top 30 undergraduate business programs in the nation in the magazine’s annual issue of The Best Undergraduate Business Schools.

To rank the undergraduate business programs, Bloomberg BusinessWeek uses nine measures including surveys of senior business majors and corporate recruiters, median starting salaries for graduates, and the number of alumni each program sends to top MBA programs.

The magazine also calculates an academic quality rating for each program by combining average SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, class size, the percentage of students with internships, and the number of hours students devote to class work.

In overall student satisfaction, Bentley ranked #21. Bloomberg BusinessWeek also assigns grades in key areas based on student surveys. Bentley received:

  • A in teaching quality
  • A+ in facilities and services
  • A in job placement