How We Rank Programs
College Choice ranks the top schools and programs to help prospective students find the right fit for their particular needs. Instead of struggling to understand the differences between schools, applicants can use College Choice to make the process easier and more fun.
We rely on a custom methodology to create our college rankings. This methodology draws on reliable data sources to measure schools based on their academic quality, affordability, and return on investment. For example, to measure a program's value, we consider each school's median student debt, graduation rate, and average student earnings after enrolling. We also consider metrics such as retention rate, net price, and financial aid when ranking schools.
Before applying to schools, applicants can use our college rankings to make an informed decision. Here, we introduce our data sources, college ranking methodology, and the factors we consider when ranking schools and programs.
About the Data We Use
Our college ranking methodology relies on several reputable data sources to create rankings. For example, we use College Scorecard, a U.S. Department of Education source that offers information on colleges and universities. College Scorecard provides data on college costs, loan default rates, student borrowing, graduation rates, and employment after graduation. The resource draws on U.S. Department of Education data to provide the most relevant information for prospective students.
We also use data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a division of the National Center for Education Statistics run by the U.S. Department of Education. IPEDS collects information from all higher education institutions that participate in federal student aid programs, which includes all regionally accredited colleges and universities. Schools report information on enrollment, graduation rates, student financial aid, and admission.
By gathering data from these sources, we can analyze the cost of a degree, academic quality at different institutions, and the return on investment for students.
A Breakdown of Our Rankings Methodology
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 15% |
| Reputation | 20% |
| Program Offerings | 35% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 15% |
| Reputation | 20% |
| Program Offerings | 35% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 35% |
| Affordability | 15% |
| Reputation | 25% |
| Program Offerings | 25% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 35% |
| Affordability | 15% |
| Reputation | 25% |
| Program Offerings | 25% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 25% |
| Affordability | 25% |
| Reputation | 25% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 25% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 10% |
| Affordability | 50% |
| Reputation | 10% |
| Program Offerings | 30% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 10% |
| Affordability | 50% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 25% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 15% |
| Affordability | 50% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 20% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 15% |
| Affordability | 50% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 20% |
About Our Ranking Factors
Our ranking factors include key areas that matter to students, such as academic quality and affordability. The following factors offer a student-focused approach to ranking colleges.
Academic Quality We take into account metrics such as graduation rate, retention rate, and student-to-faculty ratio to assess a school's academic quality.
School Affordability Many students rank affordability as one of their most important factors. We measure affordability by looking at the net price of the institution, the average amount of scholarships and loans available, and the median student debt after graduation.
School Reputation Our college ranking methodology looks at key metrics, like admission rate and enrollment rate, to understand reputation. We also use graduates' average earnings to assess a school's impact on earning potential.
Program Offerings To measure program offerings, we use tools such as the percent of degrees awarded at a certain level, the number of students taking online courses, and the number of fully online degree-seekers. We only consider online options when ranking online programs.