In an era where student-athletes are more powerful than ever, UConn’s Azzi Fudd is redefining the term by tackling two of the most demanding arenas simultaneously: a national title run and a Master of Business Administration.

Despite a resume packed with All-American honors and Player of the Year buzz, Azzi Fudd is already planning for a life after basketball. Let’s have a look at her journey to completing an MBA. 

Is Azzi Fudd Pursuing an MBA at UConn During March Madness 2026?

Yes, Azzi Fudd is pursuing an MBA at UConn and is expected to get her degree by Spring 2026. As for her bachelor’s, she graduated in May 2024 with a degree in communication. “Looking back, it was hard,” she says. “I took classes each summer and in the fall and spring. I was always taking classes.” Fudd was also named the 2025–26 Big East Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an award that honors excellence both on the court and in the classroom after holding a 3.570 GPA.

How Is Azzi Fudd Managing MBA Studies While Playing March Madness 2026?

Azzi Fudd has to balance a lot as a student athlete. Basketball is the most prominent part with practice, recovery, gym, and tactical coaching among other aspects. Then she has all her NIL and business deals, including hosting her own podcast. Not to forget her MBA classes, exams and the preparation needed for them. So, how does Fudd manage? She credits their advisor, Ellen Tripp for helping her balance all her responsibilities as well as the academics. 

“I would not have been able to finish in three years and then start and almost finish my MBA. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of that without her,” Fudd said. “She is the best. I can’t brag about her enough. And having someone who knows what’s going on, how to navigate this space, she laid out a plan for me and made it all organized and clear for what I needed to do to graduate and what classes I needed to take.”

Fudd, along with Sarah Strong, was also selected to the 2025-26 Academic All-District Women’s Basketball Team, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom, as named by the College Sports Communicators. On the court, they are the best players in the country but their in-class achievements are not far behind. 

Why Did Azzi Fudd Choose to Pursue an MBA While Playing College Basketball?

Fudd pointed at her extroversion as a reason to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Communications. “Comms, I mean, like I said, I’m a people person, and that just helps me navigate my relationships and how to interact with people, whether it’s online or in-person,” she said. 

During that degree, Fudd liked finance and the business subjects. The NIL in women’s basketball was booming and Fudd predicted that it would get a whole lot bigger. To take full advantage of being a businesswoman as well as a player, she decided to pursue an MBA.  

“With my MBA, my goal was to help me just understand a little bit more about NIL and what I’m doing off the court right now,” Fudd said. “But going forward, my hope is eventually that a relationship I make through NIL, through basketball, will kind of spark that interest of, wait, okay, post-basketball, I could see myself here; this is a really interesting area. I could see myself going down this road a little more.”

Fudd is one of the faces of college basketball this season. Being one of the most popular athletes brings a lot of NIL deals. She has brand deals with the likes of Jordan Brand, Geico, 2K Sports, Unrivaled, DoorDash, and many more. She has her own podcast produced by Steph Curry-backed iHeartStudio named “Fudd Around And Find Out”. 

“But business is so important in basketball, whether it’s your basketball contract, whether it’s with my podcast, figuring all that stuff out,” Fudd further said. “Just knowing whether I go down the business route, whatever, having an idea of what the behind-the-scenes looks like.” Moving forward, the business side will become only more prominent as she signs a professional contract. She will get even more brand deals once she steps into the WNBA and the popularity rise will be substantial.