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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

We are a dedicated institute for student entrepreneurs across campus and beyond. We aim to maximize your success by fostering your entrepreneurial mindset, promote inter-disciplinary collaboration and provide support for the creation and development of your new ventures. Jumpstart your ideas and get involved today!

Tune in for excitement!

Passion. Potential. Pitches. Don't miss any of the 2025 New Venture Challenge excitement.

Tune in Friday, April 11 at 1 p.m. for great ideas and fierce competition. Then, join the judges, mentors, spectators and teams as they see who is going home with thousands of dollars in venture financing. The awards broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. and one team will walk away as the overall best venture. 

Start your entrepreneurial journey

Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration is the home of the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship and the first Department of Entrepreneurship in the state of Michigan. We are a student-centric hub where experiential, curricular, and external entrepreneurial opportunities intersect.

Our mission is to maximize student success by fostering a campus-wide entrepreneurial mindset that promotes inter-disciplinary collaboration and the creation of new ventures.

We aim to create innovative programming, boost cross-campus and ecosystem collaboration and provide a comprehensive mentoring program.

Our institute provides extracurricular opportunities and is open to all undergraduate and graduate CMU students.

Student opportunities

  • Meet experienced alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and other business and political leaders.
  • Learn practical skills, innovative thinking, and connect with mentors and entrepreneurial resources.
  • Attend skill-building workshops and compete in pitch competitions and Hackathons.
  • Take part in special scholarship programs and travel experiences.
  • Pitch your venture at our signature New Venture Challenge event and compete for up to $20,000 in cash awards.

      Find your path

      Are you interested in becoming an entrepreneur?

      Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.

      CMU extends test-optional admissions policy through fall 2023

      by Logan Pellegrom

      The Central Michigan University Academic Senate approved the extension of test-optional admissions through fall 2023. The policy allows applicants to apply without requiring an ACT or SAT score.

      CMU first introduced its test-optional policy in 2020 as many high school students were unable to complete standardized tests during the pandemic due to test site closures, according to Interim Provost Richard Rothaus. Since enacting the policy, CMU’s internal analysis indicates no practical difference in high school grade point averages of the two groups – those admitted with a test score and those admitted without.

      Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of student recruitment and retention, said analysis of the data for CMU’s 2021 freshman class also showed students admitted and enrolled as test-optional are a significantly more diverse group of students than those admitted with tests.

      “By continuing the test-optional admission policy, CMU is providing opportunity to a broader range of students who will be academically successful here,” DeHaemers said. “This supports not only our goals to grow our enrollment but also our goals to provide a diverse and inclusive community in which all students can prepare for their future.”

      The decision to extend the policy also allows the university to gather additional data on the impact it has, if any, on student success and persistence, said DeHaemers.

      For more information on CMU’s admission requirements and how to apply, visit Admissions and Aid on our website.

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