The University of Florida Hough Graduate School of Business’s impressive results in career placement and admissions selectivity rates were some of the nation’s best, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools 2017” edition.
Among the top 75 full-time programs to appear in U.S. News’s overall rankings, UF MBA was the nation’s only program to rank in the top 10 in admissions selectivity (fifth), employment three months after graduation (seventh) and employment at graduation (10th).
UF MBA’s career placement success was a major factor in the program sustaining its impressive position—No. 16 among U.S. public business programs and No. 37 overall. The program’s rates of employment at graduation (85.1 percent) and three months after graduation (95.7 percent) were higher than premier private institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Yale and Columbia.
Additionally, the starting compensation of UF MBA graduates increased 13 percent from last year to $109,171.
“The success of our Graduate Business Career Services team in helping UF MBA students secure exciting and high-paying careers has been extraordinary,” said Dr. Alex Sevilla, Assistant Dean and Director of UF MBA Programs.
UF MBA, the only program from the state of Florida to appear in the top 50, was also competitive with the nation’s best full-time programs in admissions selectivity—a metric that is directly related to student quality. UF MBA’s full-time acceptance rate in 2015 was 15.8 percent. Only Stanford, Harvard, the University of California-Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were more selective in admitting full-time candidates.
UF MBA’s commitment to student quality is further evident from the average GMAT score (681, 9th among U.S. public universities) and average undergraduate GPA (3.46, 12th among U.S. public universities) of its students.
“We strive to foster an enriching learning environment where our talented, passionate and motivated students feed off each other,” Dr. Sevilla said. “Establishing that collaborative, but competitive culture— complemented with a first-rate faculty and intimate program size—is one of our most rewarding achievements.”
UF MBA’s program quality is also reflected in its substantial Return-on-Investment. UF MBA’s out-of-state tuition and fees were the fourth-lowest among all schools ranked in the top 50 ($31,130).
The program’s MBA for Professionals—which offers an executive, two online and three professional offerings—ranked 18th among U.S. public part-time MBA programs, and 28th overall.
In U.S. News’s specialty categories, the College’s graduate Accounting (20th overall, seventh among publics) program was also recognized.
U.S. News & World Report surveyed deans and MBA directors of 470 MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) and corporate recruiters who previously hired MBA graduates from ranked programs.
Among public and private universities:
37th Full-Time MBA
28th Part-Time MBA
20th Accounting
Among public universities:
16th Full-Time MBA
18th Part-Time MBA
7th Accounting