The InkwellU.S. colleges · by the numbers
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The InkwellU.S. colleges · by the numbers
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  2. Rankings

College rankings, straight from the data

No surveys, no weights, no reputation scores: each list sorts colleges by a single federal measure. Small colleges are filtered out where noted so that a handful of students cannot top a list.

Highest-earning graduatesTop 100

Median earnings of former students working and not enrolled, ten years after they started.

  1. 1California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA$166,642
  2. 2Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA$164,248
  3. 3Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA$152,553
  4. 4Babson CollegeWellesley, MA$138,950
  5. 5Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ$133,523
Lowest net priceTop 100

Average annual cost after grants and scholarships, for colleges with a graduation rate of 50% or more.

  1. 1CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY$657
  2. 2CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY$950
  3. 3CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY$1,051
  4. 4CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY$1,110
  5. 5CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY$1,272
Best graduation rateTop 100

Share of first-time, full-time students who finish within six years (150% of normal time); colleges with 1,000+ undergraduates, mostly full-time.

  1. 1Arizona College of Nursing-Las VegasLas Vegas, NV100%
  2. 2Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ97%
  3. 3Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA97%
  4. 4University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA97%
  5. 5Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT96%
Most selectiveTop 100

Lowest admission rates: the share of applicants offered a place.

  1. 1California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA2.6%
  2. 2Minerva UniversitySan Francisco, CA3.0%
  3. 3Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA3.6%
  4. 4Stanford UniversityStanford, CA3.6%
  5. 5Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT3.9%
Highest SAT scoresTop 100

Average SAT score of admitted students, as reported to the Department of Education.

  1. 1Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA1,560
  2. 2University of ChicagoChicago, IL1,554
  3. 3Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY1,553
  4. 4Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA1,553
  5. 5Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD1,553
Lowest student debtTop 100

Median federal loan debt at graduation, for colleges with a graduation rate of 50% or more.

  1. 1Albizu University-San JuanSan Juan, PR$5,500
  2. 2Atlantic UniversityGuaynabo, PR$5,500
  3. 3Berea CollegeBerea, KY$5,500
  4. 4United States Merchant Marine AcademyKings Point, NY$5,500
  5. 5University of Puerto Rico at PoncePonce, PR$5,500
Best first-year retentionTop 100

Share of first-time, full-time students who return for a second year.

  1. 1Arizona State University Digital ImmersionScottsdale, AZ100%
  2. 2Charter Oak State CollegeNew Britain, CT100%
  3. 3Strayer University-MarylandBaltimore, MD100%
  4. 4Strayer University-South CarolinaGreenville, SC100%
  5. 5Strayer University-TennesseeNashville, TN100%
Pell Grant accessTop 100

Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant, among mostly full-time colleges that graduate 60% or more.

  1. 1Uta Mesivta of Kiryas JoelMonroe, NY89%
  2. 2Berea CollegeBerea, KY84%
  3. 3Arizona College of Nursing-Las VegasLas Vegas, NV67%
  4. 4College of the OzarksPoint Lookout, MO65%
  5. 5University of California-MercedMerced, CA62%
Largest collegesTop 100

Degree-seeking undergraduates, fall enrolment.

  1. 1Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH163,164
  2. 2Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT155,088
  3. 3University of Phoenix-ArizonaPhoenix, AZ85,991
  4. 4Grand Canyon UniversityPhoenix, AZ73,371
  5. 5Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempe, AZ64,674
Earnings vs. priceTop 100

Median earnings ten years after entry divided by four years of average net price — a rough payback signal.

  1. 1CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY16.77×
  2. 2CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY14.84×
  3. 3CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY13.43×
  4. 4CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY11.17×
  5. 5CUNY York CollegeJamaica, NY7.97×
Oldest collegesTop 100

Year the college — or the institution it grew from — was founded, as recorded in Wikidata.

  1. 1Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA1636
  2. 2William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA1693
  3. 3Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT1701
  4. 4Washington CollegeChestertown, MD1723
  5. 5University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA1740