The Wall Street Journal’s newest ranking of U.S. colleges and universities highlights two institutions from Tampa Bay. Both made a similar list from Forbes, but with a distinctly different lineup of schools.
Both rankings focused heavily on graduates’ earnings compared to their ability to pay off student debt. This year, 500 colleges and universities were evaluated on both lists.
Here’s how the Tampa Bay schools performed on the WSJ list:
- No. 250: University of South Florida
- No. 447: University of Tampa
The WSJ placed significant weight (70%) on student outcomes, primarily considering graduates’ salaries, time taken to pay off tuition, and graduation rates. It also factored in the institution’s learning environment and diversity.
Forbes, on the other hand, ranked colleges based on return on investment, student debt levels, and graduate outcomes. Schools that performed well had high student retention rates, timely graduation, graduates with high salaries, and low student debt. The ranking also acknowledged low-income students, rewarding schools that enrolled higher percentages of them.
Here’s how Forbes ranked the Tampa Bay colleges:
- No. 107: University of South Florida
- No. 344: New College of Florida
In both rankings, Princeton University claimed the top spot for the second consecutive year. Columbia College of Chicago took the final spot in the WSJ’s rankings, while the University of Houston, Clear Lake, ranked last in Forbes’ list.
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