Core #10 · Full school dossier

Denison University

Economics / Financial Economics + entrepreneurship ecosystem · Granville, Ohio

Portfolio verdict: High conditional affordability and excellent career infrastructure justify the application even though the school type is not his first choice.

Undergraduates

2,500

Business/program scale

No conventional standalone undergraduate business school

Setting

Small residential college; ~30 min from Columbus

Admission estimate

36% planning estimate

Cost works if admitted

90% planning estimate

Early route

ED I Nov. 15; RD/ED II Jan. 15

Program lens

What business actually looks like here

Program structure: No conventional BBA. The strength is a modern liberal-arts business ecosystem: Economics/Financial Economics, Global Commerce, Data Analytics, entrepreneurship/design thinking and client-facing consulting.

Major options: Economics, Financial Economics, Global Commerce, Data Analytics and entrepreneurship-related programs; no conventional undergraduate BBA.

Program admission: 22% current Fast Facts admit rate; SAT 1330–1490; no supplemental essay; no application fee

Entrepreneurship & innovation

What exists beyond the classroom

Ecosystem: Red Frame Lab is a genuine entrepreneurship and design-thinking hub with startup programming, pitch opportunities, consulting, alumni connections and coaching. Denison Consulting has grown into a substantial client-facing program, with 115+ engagements reported since 2020.

Resources: Red Frame Lab; Red Startup / Red Accelerate; ReMix entrepreneurship network; Denison Consulting / RED Corps.

Best entrepreneurship fit: Particularly attractive for design thinking, consulting, consumer/digital ventures and students who want entrepreneurship layered onto a liberal-arts major rather than a conventional BBA.

Experiential learning

Work before graduation

Model: Career services is a major institutional strength; internships, consulting experiences and Columbus access

Internship / co-op: Strong career infrastructure but no universal paid business co-op comparable to Cincinnati or Management Fellows

Distinctive feature: Red Frame combines entrepreneurship, design thinking and consulting; Denison Consulting has completed 115+ client engagements since 2020.

Career outcomes

Where the degree tends to lead

Placement: 92% employed, in graduate school or service within six months in Fast Facts

Compensation: Not used as a headline metric on reviewed official pages

Employment geography: Granville is small, but Columbus access is explicitly positioned as a major internship/entrepreneurship advantage

Money

How this becomes financially usable

Need / institutional aid: Meets 100% of demonstrated financial need; Fall 2025 $50K–$100K families with typical assets averaged $71,751 aid among qualifying recipients

Merit / major upside: All applicants considered for merit; Kentucky/Midwest opportunities should be reverified for 2027

Family rule: tuition + campus living must be solvable for all eight semesters with only a small student contribution.

Fit

What matters specifically for him

Financially excellent and academically compelling, but small residential environment and lack of conventional BBA are fit objections.

What could change the ranking: Compare the actual business-career pathway against DePauw Management Fellows and dedicated business schools; Denison may win on aid/career support but lose on program identity.