UConn Climbs Up the Rankings of Universities with Leading Entrepreneurship Programs

UConn’s reputation as a stellar entrepreneurship academic institutions climbed significantly in the 2026 rankings released this month by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur.

The university’s website points out that the UConn is “committed to fostering ideas, products, and services that benefit society. We offer expertise in patent protection, licensing, startup formation, and more. Plus, we have the researchers, tools, and facilities to support your endeavors.”

The results of the published rankings were based on 40 data points including academic offerings, faculty credentials, experiential learning, mentorship, and more.

The University was ranked No. 4 in New England for undergraduates and No. 6 for graduate students. UConn’s overall ranking was No. 29 for graduates (up from No. 34 last year) and No. 31 for undergraduates (up from No. 45). The rankings primarily included U.S. colleges and universities, but some international schools were also included.

“Over the last ten years, there has been tremendous growth in the number and quality of programs and resources available to entrepreneurs at UConn,’’ said Michelle Cote, interim director of UConn’s Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, established in 2017 thanks to a $22.5 million gift from pharmaceutical entrepreneur Peter J. Werth.

“Opportunities to explore and practice entrepreneurship and innovation are embedded in schools and colleges across campus, and students are making huge leaps in launching market-ready ventures as result,’’ Cote said. “It’s wonderful to see that progress reflected in this year’s rankings.’’

The top ranked universities for entrepreneurship academic programs were University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, Babson College, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Maryland, College Park, and Michigan State University. 

Professor Kevin Gardiner, director of UConn’s Innovation Quest (iQ) program says the ideas and the commitment from students are exceptional.

“We had over 200 registrants for Innovation Quest in 2025, from over 60 majors, and they included freshman up to Ph.D. candidates,’’ he says. “What was particularly impressive to me was the strength of some of the younger students. In fact, one of the top five teams that was invited to the Summer InQbator was made up entirely of freshman. It was not just the strength of their idea, but the team’s poise and confidence when presenting that shocked the judges when we learned that they were freshmen.”

At the graduate level, top universities for entrepreneurship in the rankings were Rice University, University of California – Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, University of Michigan, and Washington University.

Read some examples of entrepreneurship ideas and launches here in UConn Today.