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Babson College

#1 Highest-Paying Colleges for Business
Private nonprofit Wellesley, MA · Suburban · New England · 100% data
A+ Earnings A+ Graduation A Selectivity
Graduation Rate
93% A+
Most students who enroll finish their degree here
Earnings (10yr)
$123,938 A+
Top 1% nationally — exceptional earning power
Net Price
$40,514 F
136% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
17% A
Admits roughly 17% — highly selective
Earnings +204% vs avg
Graduation +62% vs avg
Net Price 136% vs avg
Mobility Top 13%

Bottom line: A B overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 23.3× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $23.3 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Highest-Paying Colleges for Business.

23.3× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $23.3 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $3,607,547.

What The Data Says

  1. A B overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.

  2. Graduates earn 204% more than the national college median.

  3. A 93% graduation rate — 62% above the national average.

  4. A top feeder school for 8 major employers.

  5. Social mobility rate of 2.80% — an engine of upward economic mobility.

Economic Footprint

Inventor Rate
0.7%
Top 33%
Patents
20
Linked to graduates
Employer Pipelines
8
Top feeder programs
Patent Citations
54
Downstream influence

Why Babson College Matters

Babson College is a private special-focus institution in Wellesley, MA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by selective admissions, a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network, and a strong record of moving students up the income ladder. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 1% of all U.S. colleges.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private Special-Focus Institution
Carnegie Class
Special Focus
Enrollment
2,728
Setting
Suburban
Primary Strengths
Business & Marketing

Why students choose Babson College

Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Exceptional earning outcomes
Graduate earnings in the top 1% of colleges
Engine of upward mobility
A strong record of moving students up the income ladder

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

B
Top 24% overall
A+
Earnings
$123,938 median
C+
Value
3.1× net price
F
Affordability
$40,514/yr net
A+
Graduation
93% graduate
A-
Social Mobility
2.8% climb Q1→Q5
A
Selectivity
17% admit rate
A
Diversity
0.80 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →
1
Can I Get In?

Admissions

Highly selective
17% admit rate

Highly selective — admits about 17% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1390–1530. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.

Check your odds →
2
Can I Afford It?

Net price + aid

F
$40,514/yr net

Students pay about $40,514 a year after grants and scholarships — 136% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.

See cost & aid →
3
What Happens After?

Earnings + debt

A+
$123,938 median

Graduates earn a median of $123,938 ten years after enrolling — 204% above the typical college, against $20,000 in median debt.

See outcomes →
4
Does It Change Lives?

Mobility + social capital

A-
2.8% climb

Moves 2.8% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 13% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.88 economic connectedness).

See mobility →

Overview

With an acceptance rate of just 17%, Babson College is a strong fit for students who are serious about pursuing a career in business and marketing. The intimate campus environment, home to around 2,728 students, fosters collaboration and networking among peers. Here, you’ll dive deep into practical studies that prepare you for real-world challenges, focusing on business principles and marketing strategies.

When we look at life after graduation, the numbers are promising. Graduates from Babson earn an impressive average of $123,938 within ten years of completing their degree. This figure reflects the college's focus on preparing students for high-earning roles in the competitive business landscape. It's worth noting that while the median debt stands at $20,000, this is manageable for the financial trajectory many graduates experience.

Cost is a crucial factor in choosing a college, and Babson's net price after aid is $40,514. This amount may seem high, but when considering the strong earning potential and the career opportunities that arise from a Babson education, many find it to be a worthwhile investment. Students who thrive here tend to be ambitious, driven, and ready to take on challenges in the business world.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Babson College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Babson College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Babson College, located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, sets a competitive bar: about 17% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,457. The graduation rate is roughly 93%.

Acceptance Rate
17%
Retention Rate
95%
SAT Average
1457
ACT Midpoint
32
SAT Range
1390–1530
ACT Range
31–34
Full-Time Faculty
100%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$20,620
Student–Faculty Ratio
16:1
Diversity Index
0.80
First-Gen Students
15%
Applicants
7,607
Admitted
1,700

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Babson College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 39% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school many admits weigh against other offers.

Yield Rate
39%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
22%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
3%
of enrolled freshmen
Early Decision Admit Rate
27.5%
vs 17.1% overall

Applying early pays off here. Of 1,109 Early Decision applicants, 305 were admitted — a 27.5% admit rate, roughly 1.6× the 17.1% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 49% of the entering class (305 of 625 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.

Test-optional, in practice. Only about 25% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.

Source: Babson College's Common Data Set, 2024-25 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Babson College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Babson College is $57,152, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $40,514. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $23,641 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$57,152
Out-of-State
$57,152
Avg Net Price
$40,514
Median Debt
$20,000
Pell Grant Rate
16%
Federal Loan Rate
27%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$23,641
Family Income $30K–$48K
$17,077
Family Income $48K–$75K
$16,861
Family Income $110K+
$80,192

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Babson College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Babson College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Babson College earn a median of $123,938, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry
$91,354
8 Years
$102,507
10 Years
$123,938
Debt-to-Earnings
0.16x
Earning > $25K
92%

Earnings Trajectory

$91,354 6yr $102,507 8yr $123,938 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (465)
92%
100% (465)
92%
100% (465)
92%
100% (465)
92%

Where Grads Go

Babson College is a top feeder for:

Rank among programs feeding each employer.

Top employers of Babson College’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.

Explore the Career Destination Guide → Source: Babson College — Full-Time MBA Employment Report (Class of 2025)

How Babson Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation93%Earnings 10yr$124KNet Price$41KRetention95%Median Debt$20KPell Grant Rate16%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$24K$0-30K$17K$30-48K$17K$48-75K$80K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%4.1%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%68.2%MOBILITY2.80%

College ROI Calculator

Is Babson College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Babson College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $40,514/year ($162,056 total). Graduates earn $123,938 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $3,769,603 in total earnings — a net gain of $3,607,547 (23.3× your investment). The median debt is $20,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 93% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$162,056
Projected 20yr Earnings
$3,769,603
Net Return
$3,607,547
ROI Multiple
23.3×
Cost Per Year
$40,514
Median Debt
$20,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
93%
Explore all Babson College ROI scenarios

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Babson College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Babson College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.80%, among the highest in the country. About 4.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 68.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $140,500, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
2.80%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
68.2%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
4.1%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$190,890
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Babson College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Babson College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.88, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.88
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.00
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
5.1%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Babson College produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 20 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate
0.71%
Top 33% nationally
Patents Produced
20
Linked to graduates
Patent Citations
54
Downstream influence
Inventors From Low-Income
3.39%
Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants
$4,975,035
Investment Income
$-26,447,595

Top Programs

The fields Babson College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Top Careers

Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Babson College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Babson College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Babson College, located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, sets a competitive bar: about 17% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,457. The graduation rate is roughly 93%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Babson College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Babson College is $57,152, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $40,514. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $23,641 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,000 in federal student loans.

Is Babson College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Babson College earn a median of $123,938, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

Does Babson College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Babson College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.80%, among the highest in the country. About 4.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 68.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $140,500, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Babson College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Babson College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.88, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Does Babson College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?

Yes. Babson College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 28%, about 1.6 times the overall 17% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 49% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Babson College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).

Is Babson College really test-optional?

In practice, yes. Only about 25% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Babson College (2024-25 Common Data Set).

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Babson College?

About 39% of admitted students choose to enroll at Babson College — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

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