Babson Entrepreneurship Program Ranked No. 1

As part of its highly anticipated annual list of the nation's top colleges and universities, U.S. News & World Report ranked Babson College the No. 1 undergraduate entrepreneurship program for the 14th consecutive year. Babson, based in Babson Park, Mass., was followed by the University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University, the University of Southern California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

U.S. News, which also published rankings for other categories including Best National Universities, ranked undergraduate business specialty programs using a peer-assessment survey sent to campuses in spring of 2009. To be considered for a business program ranking, schools must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

"With many other institutions devoting significant resources to entrepreneurship, the recognition that we have retained and extended our No. 1 position is enormously gratifying," Babson president Leonard Schlesinger said in a statement. "We are continuing to extend our leadership to entrepreneurial thought and action in the broadest array of settings."

Babson was also listed as the school with the highest freshman retention rate (94 percent) and highest average graduation rate (84 percent) within the "Colleges with a Specialty -- Business" section. The University of Pennsylvania earned the No. 1 spot on the "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" list.