This article was originally reported in September 2025. A latest update on the program is at the end.
On September 24, 2025, the University of Rochester announced that its Barry Florescue Undergraduate Business Program would move from the School of Arts & Sciences into the Simon Business School beginning in fall 2026 (University of Rochester News Center, September 24, 2025).
What changed
The undergraduate business program was established in Arts & Sciences about 13 years before the announcement and had become one of the university’s most popular areas of study, with nearly 250 graduates in the previous year. Its students combine a liberal arts education with business training, often adding a second major in the humanities, social sciences or sciences, and prepare for careers in accounting, finance, business analytics, marketing, information systems and entrepreneurship. The move continues an existing partnership between Simon and Arts & Sciences.
Provost Nicole Sampson said the move “ensures that students in the undergraduate business program will have access to Simon’s analytic rigor.” Mitch Lovett, Simon’s interim dean, said undergraduates would share in the “data-driven, AI-forward approach, and global perspective that distinguish Simon’s graduate programs.”
The program today
According to the program’s FAQ (University of Rochester Undergraduate Business Program FAQ, checked November 2026):
- Who grants the degree: Simon Business School grants undergraduate business degrees starting with the Class of 2027. Students who graduated on or before August 31, 2026 followed the old curriculum, and eligible students could choose whether their degree is issued by Arts & Sciences or Simon.
- Degrees: a Bachelor of Science (BS), a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a minor.
- The BS requires 15 courses (nine core courses and six electives) in one of six tracks: accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems or marketing.
- The BA requires 12 courses (nine core and three electives under the new curriculum) and is taken alongside a second major.
- Declaring the major: students must complete calculus (MATH 141–142, MATH 161 or MATH 171) and a statistics course before declaring a business major. No GPA requirement is listed.
- STEM designation: the BA and all six BS tracks are STEM-designated, so F-1 graduates may be eligible for up to three years of work in the U.S. through OPT and the STEM OPT extension.
- Business Master’s Pathway: a five-year BA/BS + MS option leading to a full-time Simon M.S. in Accountancy, AI in Business, Business Analytics, Marketing Analytics or Finance.
- Accreditation: Simon is AACSB-accredited.
What it means for international students
- Declare after you enroll. Applications go through Rochester’s undergraduate admissions, and business is declared as a major once you have completed the calculus and statistics prerequisites, so plan those courses early.
- STEM OPT matters. Because all business degree options are STEM-designated, international graduates can typically work in the U.S. for 12 months of OPT plus a 24-month STEM extension, if their job and employer qualify.
- Cost. Rochester’s 2026–27 undergraduate tuition is $71,750, and housing and food are $21,326 (University of Rochester, February 18, 2026). See our report on Rochester’s tuition and aid.
- International community. IPEDS data for fall 2025 show 3,593 international students among 11,946 enrolled at Rochester, including 1,454 undergraduates.
- Ranking. Rochester is No. 49 in the 2027 U.S. News National Universities ranking. See our University of Rochester school page for admissions and cost data.
Latest update
The move took effect in fall 2026. The program’s FAQ now lists Simon Business School as the degree-granting school for the Class of 2027 onward, and its undergraduate business pages are hosted by Simon. Simon also announced a $3.5 million commitment from alumnus Evans Lam (’83, ’84S MBA) for the Evans Lam Undergraduate Business Hub (Simon Business School: Undergraduate Business Program).
References
- University of Rochester: Undergraduate Business Program to Join Simon Business School in Fall 2026 (September 24, 2025)
- University of Rochester: Undergraduate Business Program FAQ
- Simon Business School: Undergraduate Business Program
- University of Rochester: Tuition, financial aid rates set for 2026–27 academic year (February 18, 2026)
- Forward Pathway: University of Rochester