Newly Released Money Magazine College Rankings Emphasize Value-Added
By Allie Arcese, Sr. Director of Strategic Communications & Engagement
By Allie Bidwell, Communications Staff
Money magazine’s 2015 rankings, released Monday, analyzed data from more than 700 colleges on 21 factors in three categories including educational quality, affordability and alumni earnings. Colleges and universities with graduation rates below the median and those with financial difficulties were not included in the rankings.
Each institution was also given a separate “value-added” grade that measured how well students performed at each school against what would be expected given their different academic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Overall, Stanford – which was ranked as the top value institution for students in terms of cost, education and careers – received a “B+” for its value-added score and outpaced most other schools, with a 96 percent graduation rate. Students on average paid $178,731 for a degree (taking into account scholarship and grant awards, tuition increases and the average time to graduation) and went on to earn $64,400 annually early in their careers.
Babson College in Massachusetts was ranked second overall, with an “A” value-added score and a 91 percent graduation rate. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University were tied for third, both with a “B+” score for value-added.
Other institutions toward the top of the rankings included the California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, Harvard University, the Maine Maritime Academy, Amherst College, the University of California-Berkeley and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Publication Date: 7/14/2015
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