Updated March 2020
As our name implies, College Choice aims to help our readers make the best decision for their personal education needs. We know that there are a lot of options out there, and that a student’s school choice can set them up for better opportunities and a better career.
With student success as our guiding metric, we developed a methodology that provides students with reliable recommendations and rankings. We use weighted values such as a school’s retention, affordability, and reputation — in concert with concrete statistics — to generate our recommendations and rankings.
Undergraduate Programs
For undergraduate programs, we have grouped statistics into three major groups: retention, program appeal, and finances.
Retention 30%
- Graduation Rate
- Full-Time Retention Rate
- Transfer Out Rate
- Part-Time Retention Rate
Program Appeal 40%
- Enrollment Rate
- Total Programs Offered
- Student to Faculty Ratio
Finances 30%
- Tuition Changes Over Time
- Proportion of Students Receiving Financial Aid
- Total Scholarships and Fellowships
Graduate Programs
Affordability, return on investment (ROI), and commitment to graduate education are the three primary statistical categories considered for graduate programs.
Affordability 30%
- Graduate Tuition and Fees
- Proportion of Students Receiving Financial Aid
- Loan Default Rate
- Tuition Changes Over Time
ROI 40%
Commitment to Graduate Education 30%
- Ratio of Master’s Programs to Total Number of Programs
- Proportion of Graduate Students to Overall Student Population
- Ratio of Master’s Degree Programs Offered via Distance Education to Total Number of Master’s Programs