University of the Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business is ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 1 in the West among smaller universities with business schools, according to a new study.

Pacific has ranked among the best places to earn an undergraduate business degree for the second consecutive year by Poets&Quants, a news website which analyzes business school data from U.S. universities.

Nationally, Pacific ranked No. 8 among universities with 7,000 or fewer students–up two spots from last year–and is 58th among all schools that participated, up 12 spots from 2021. 

“This ranking confirms our students excel in a small, personalized environment with outstanding faculty who teach challenging classes and provide opportunities for students to become their very best,” said Interim Dean Lewis R. Gale.

The Poets&Quants survey includes some of the best-known business schools in the country. University of Pennsylvania’s business school ranked No. 1 nationally followed by Georgetown University, University of Southern California, Washington University in St. Louis and University of Virginia.

The rankings, based on a survey of more than 5,400 alumni and data provided by schools, focused on three areas: admissions standards, alumni experience and career outcomes.

“The student-centered learning that the university, the business school and all of our schools subscribe to makes a huge difference,” said Regent Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt ’76, ’80, vice president of retail banking at the Bank of Stockton and vice chair of the Pacific Board of Regents. “We've got a strong ratio of teachers to students, it doesn't hurt that we have a beautiful campus, we have an outstanding faculty, and I think what's important is we really care about our students.” 

Pacific ranked 33rd among all business schools in the U.S. in the alumni experience category, which asked recent graduates about faculty availability, extracurricular opportunities and accessibility of the alumni network. 

“It’s tremendous to see Pacific score so highly based on how alumni view their time here,” said Pacific President Christopher Callahan. “Part of that success can be attributed to the students who have come before them. Our network of successful alumni is one of the real strengths of Pacific. Whether by sharing their expertise with students or with generous donations, their support of this school has really elevated what we can offer.”

One of the cornerstone programs for the business school is the Eberhardt Student Investment Fund. The fund provides students a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience in the U.S. stock market at the undergraduate level.

It was established in 2007 with a $1 million gift from Bank of Stockton President and CEO Douglass Eberhardt and has grown to more than $4 million.

“It has always performed well. The students have consistently outperformed their benchmarks. If they weren’t required to make a distribution, the fund would be worth at least $5.4 million today,” said Gale. 

Pacific is also creating a new student-led investment fund focused on bonds. The Dreyfuss Family Fixed Income Fund was made possible by a recent gift of $1 million from Regent Evan Dreyfuss and his wife Elizabeth.

Only 2% of business schools worldwide operate a student investment fund focused on equities and even fewer offer undergraduates the opportunity to manage a fixed-income fund.

“The student investment fund is an amazing program. I think that's really elevated the School of Business, along with other programs. The new sports analytics program is going to help, so I think we're doing some important work for future generations,” said Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt.

The sports analytics program is a new specialization in its sport management major that will be offered in the business school beginning in August, one of only a few programs of its kind in the nation.

The Eberhardt School of Business also offers undergraduate programs in accounting, business analytics, finance, management and human resources, and marketing management.