Kelley school ranked eighth by Businessweek

For the fifth year in a row, the IU Kelley School of Business has risen in the rankings of undergraduate programs in Bloomberg Businessweek, according to a press release Friday from the IU-Bloomington newsroom.

Kelley now ranks eighth overall and, for the second consecutive year, it was ranked first by companies that recruit its graduates, according to the release.

“These rankings attest to the quality of Kelley’s undergraduate education, its exceptional teaching and research facilities, and its continually growing reputation as a destination of choice for the nation’s next business leaders,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel in the release. “They are also a tribute to Kelley’s faculty and staff, who dedicate themselves on a daily basis to ensuring our students leave IU with the skills, experience and business acumen necessary to make a real impact in their communities.”

Kelley was awarded an “A” for teaching quality and an A-plus for job placement activities and facilities and services, according to the release.

The school has ranked in the top 20 for the eight years that Businessweek has surveyed schools, climbing 12 positions in the last five years.

“We are thrilled with the strong climb in the rankings,” said Idalene Kesner, dean of the Kelley School, in the release. “This is especially impressive given that we’re in the midst of a major construction project for a new undergraduate building. The Hodge Hall Undergraduate Center will open in the fall, and we anticipate this state-of-the-art facility will have an even more positive impact on our students’ experience at Kelley.”

The renovation and expansion of Hodge Hall is a $60 million project funded entirely through alumni gifts, strategic partners and a Lilly Endowment grant of $33 million, the release said.

The new space will include not only more classrooms and group work space, but it will also be home to the Indiana Business Research Center — a behavioral research lab, a stock-trading room and a 3M sales and business communications lab, according to the release.

Kelley is the largest undergraduate school in terms of enrollment in Bloomberg Businessweek’s Top 10, with approximately 5,000 undergraduates. However, it is also one of the cheapest business schools ranked, with a yearly resident tuition of $8,919 — one-fourth of most others in the top 10, the release said.

“It’s wonderful to have this positive momentum as we approach the final phase of our building project,” Kesner said in the release. “We’re even more proud of the continued No. 1 ranking in career services. This shows that our students know the quality of their education is most important.”