POTSDAM -- Clarkson University's entrepreneurship program is one of the top 15 in the nation, according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine.

The two have named Clarkson to their 2013 list of "Top Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Programs."

Based on surveys of business school administrators at nearly 2,000 schools, the annual lists salute only 50 programs -- 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate -- for their excellence in entrepreneurship education.

The Princeton Review evaluated the programs based on data it annually collects in its institutional surveys. Among the criteria, schools are asked about the levels of their commitment to entrepreneurship inside and outside the classroom, the percentage of their faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number of their mentorship programs, and their funding for scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies and projects.

"Our emphasis on experiential entrepreneurship education has led to some exciting successes for our students," said Marc S. Compeau, director of Clarkson's Reh Center for Entrepreneurship. "The Reh Center's outreach to the entrepreneurs of our region has also had a positive impact on the community. This recognition as a nationally ranked program is certainly an honor and one that we hope continues, as we build more opportunities for students and entrepreneurs to collaborate."

A feature on these rankings appears in Entrepreneur's October issue, available on newsstands and at http://www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges.

The Princeton Review has posted the ranking lists on its site at http://www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur. There users can also access information about criteria for the rankings and topics in the 60-question survey for this project.

Of the 1,003 universities in Payscale's 2011-2012 College Salary Report, Clarkson graduates have the 17th highest starting salary average at $57,900 and alumni are in the top five percent of mid-career salaries.

Clarkson seniors are hired by more than 170 different companies annually and 96% of graduates place in their field of study or career aspiration in their first year out.