College of Business Rankings and Recognitions

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We’re committed to our students’ career goals and accompany them on their path to success, sharing tailored opportunities for real-world business opportunities and skill-building with every step.

AACSB Accreditation

Best Undergraduate Business School

• No. 2 in Illinois, Top 100 in the nation - Poets&Quants (2025)
• No. 3 nationally for business schools with the most diverse student body - Poets&Quants (2022, 2020)
• One of the nation’s esteemed business schools for 34 consecutive years, since 1987 - U.S. News & World Report (2022 ranking)
• No. 55 nationally for attracting and retaining high-quality students – Poets&Quants (2022)
• No. 55 nationally for nurturing and improving soft skills in business – Poets&Quants (2022)
• No. 78 nationally and among nation’s best for each year of this survey, since 2017 – Poets&Quants (2022)
• “A” grade from alumni in terms of highly recommending the business program and for faculty availability – Poets&Quants (2022)
• No. 30 nationally within an elite group of schools for best overall academic experience – Poets&Quants (2021)

Best Academic Programs

• MBA program was named one of Money’s 2024 Best Grad School Programs (2024 ranking)
• No. 59 best undergraduate accounting programs – U.S. News & World Report (2022 ranking)
• No. 10 best value online digital marketing master's program - Value Colleges (2021)
• Evening MBA and EMBA rank in tier one of a global MBA survey - CEO Magazine (2018)
• Top 14 percent part-time MBA program and among nation’s best for five years - U.S. News & World Report (2018 ranking)
• Among best one-year MBA programs in Chicago - MetroMBA (2017)
• No. 47 best value nationally for Master of Taxation - Value Colleges (2017)
• No. 10 best Master of Accounting Science (Leadership) program - Online Accounting Degree Programs (2017-2018)
• No. 25 best Master of Accounting Science program - Accounting Degree Review (2017)
• Among top 25 nationally for more than 20 years, undergraduate and graduate level accountancy programs - Public Accounting Reports (2017)
• No. 2 best undergraduate accounting degree program in Illinois - Accounting Degree Review (2017)
• No. 29 best undergraduate accounting degree program - Accounting Degree Review (2017 Super Ranking)
• Continuously among the nation’s best professional sales programs - Sales Education Foundation

Recognitions

• Member of the International Association Education Quality Accreditation Agency (EQUAA) (2024)
• NIU MBA in-residence program with MATTER at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (2021)
• MATTER partner (2019)
• WorldChicago partner (2018)