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Washington college
By The Editors
In late summer, U.S. News & World Report releases its annual rankings of colleges. First published in 1983, the guide has become its own mini-event: College presidents, education reporters, alumni, parents, and high school juniors alike all scramble to get their hands on the rankings. Its release is followed by weeks of gloating from the top-ranked schools and grumbling from those schools that dropped a slot (or 14) from the previous year. Inspired by the popularity, other guides--from Princeton Review to Peterson's to Kaplan--have rushed to compete. College rankings are now so influential that universities and higher-education journals hold regular chin stroking sessions about whether the numbers-game has too much influence over the way schools behave. New York University's Vice President John Beckman sniffed to the Harvard Crimson this spring that the rankings "are a device to sell magazines that feed on an American fixation with lists," which is precisely what institutions say' when they're trying to duck accountability.
There's a good reason for the American fixation with rankings--if done correctly, they can help tell us what's working and what's not. Of course universities ought to be judged. The key is judging the right things.
All of the existing college rankings have the same aim--to help overwhelmed parents and students sift through the thousands of colleges and universities in this country by giving them some yardstick for judging the "best" schools. Whether the guides actually do measure academic excellence--as opposed to, say, academic reputation (not always the same thing)--is debatable at best (see "Broken Ranks," by Amy Graham and Nicholas Thompson, September 200l). The publishers of these guides argue that they are providing a valuable consumer service. Parents who will shell out tens of thousands of dollars to put their teenagers through college need to know they are spending their money wisely.
How much more important, then, is it for taxpayers to know that their money--in the form of billions of dollars of research grants and student aid--is being put to good use? These arc institutions, after all, that produce most of the country's cutting-edge scientific research and are therefore indirectly responsible for much of our national wealth and prosperity. They arc the path to the American dream, the surest route for hard-working poor kids to achieve a better life in a changing economy. And they shape, in profound and subtle ways, students' ideas about American society mid their place in it. It seemed obvious to us that these heavily subsidized institutions ought to be graded on how well they perform in these roles, so we set out to create the first annual Washington Monthly College Rankings. While other guides ask what colleges can do for students, we ask what colleges arc doing for the country.
Iowa State beats Princeton
The first question we asked was, what does America need from its universities? From this starting point, we came up with three central criteria: Universities should be engines of social mobility, they should produce the academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth, and they should inculcate and encourage an ethic of service. We designed our evaluation system accordingly. (See "A Note on Methodology," p. 26.)
Given our very different way of measuring success, we suspected that the marquee schools routinely found at the top of U.S. News's list might not finish at the very top of ours--but even we were surprised by what the data revealed. Only three schools in the 2006 U.S. New stop ten are among our highest-ranked: MIT, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, while the private colleges of the Ivy League dominate most rankings of the nation's best colleges, they didn't dominate ours--only Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania made our top ten, and Princeton (tied with Harvard for the top slot on U.S. News's list last year) was all the way down at #44, a few slots behind South Carolina State University.
Our list was also more heavily populated with first-rate state schools (the University of California system scored particularly well) than that of U. S. News, which has no public universities within its top ten. UCLA finished second in our overall ranking, UC--Berkeley third, Penn State University sixth, Texas A&M seventh, UC--San Diego eighth and the University of Michigan tenth. Each of our highest-rated schools are, by any reasonable national measure, academically serious schools. But they are not the super-elite--the Harvards and Yales--that normally dominate lists of the nation's "best" universities.
The schools that topped our list didn't necessarily do so for the reasons you might expect. MIT earned its number one ranking not because of its ground-breaking research (although that didn't hurt), but on the basis of its commitment to national service--the school ranked #7 in that category, far better than most of its elite peers. Similarly,
UCLA, which finished second on our overall list, excelled in research and came in first in our social mobility rating because of its astoundingly high graduation rate given its large number of lower-income students. (Schools in the University of California's system were consistently high performers in this area: UCLA took top honors, with UC--San Diego, UC--Davis, UC--Berkeley, and UC--Riverside not far behind.) At the same time, Princeton finished behind schools such as the University of Arizona and Iowa State--schools with which it probably does not often consider itself to be in competition--not just because of its comparatively low research numbers, which are perhaps to be expected given that the university doesn't have a medical school and considers its mission to be teaching, not research. What really did in Princeton were mediocre scores on national service and social mobility, categories in which it should have excelled.
Other priorities
Princeton's comparatively low ranking is evidence of something else indicated by our numbers. Schools that are similar in size, prestige, and endowment end up in very different places on The Washington Monthly College Rankings, largely because of decisions they have made about how to prioritize their resources or focus their energies. When it comes to social mobility for instance, Harvard has the lowest percentage of Pell Grant recipients in its student body of any school in the country By comparison, Columbia, whose institutional ambitions and prestige are similar to Harvard's, has twice as many lower-income students as its counterpart on the Charles River; Cornell has nearly three times the number. Public universities provide some equally interesting data: Both Indiana University and the University. of Virginia are the most elite public institutions in states with populations of roughly similar wealth, yet the percentage of IU students who arc Pell Grant recipients is nearly twice that of UVa.
On research, as well, the results are interesting. The big state schools finished somewhat higher than we had expected, and the super-elite schools (the Cal Techs and Harvards) fell somewhat lower. Even so, we were caught off -guard by some of the top finishers, including University of California's San Diego campus. UCSD is not normally considered among the elite UC campuses--UCLA and UC-Berkeley have that distinction--much less top-tier national schools. But it has quietly rounded up a formidable team of scholars. Nine Nobelists are on faculty at UCSD (Dartmouth, by comparison, has none), and the National Research Council recently ranked its Oceanography, Neurosciences, Physiology, and Bioengineering departments either first or second in the country. This concentration of talent translates into direct benefits for the surrounding community: Forty percent of the companies in San Diego's biotech corridor are spin-offs of research based at UCSD. These accomplishments landed UCSD in the sixth slot for research grants, and eighth on the overall rankings.
Perhaps the most striking data, however, is found in national service. Our measures here were simple: whether a school devotes a significant part of its federal work study funding to placing students in community service jobs (as the original work study law intended); the percentage of students enrolled ha ROTC; and the percentage of graduates currently enrolled in the Peace Corps. All schools, large and small, are capable of excelling ha these areas. In fact, we found that while some very small and nationally unknown schools have made an aggressive commitment to national service, most of the highest ranking U.S. News schools have not. The University of Portland, for example, finishes first in national service while Harvard lingers down at #75. Harvard obviously has far more resources than the University, of Portland, and there's no question that it could match Portland's remarkable performance on service if it chose to make a similar commitment to emphasizing those values among its students. But, at least by the criteria we set, it has not.
These service results haven't changed much since the first time we rated colleges on their commitment to national service (see "The Other College Rankings," by Joshua Green, Jan/Feb. 2002). But there's one nice surprise: MIT leaped from near the bottom of the pack three years ago to near the top today.
We created a separate ranking for the nation's liberal arts colleges, and our results there confirmed these general trends. Some of the schools at the top of our list--including Wellesley and Bryn Mawr--are considered among the nation's most elite liberal arts colleges. But some schools we didn't expect--Wofford College, #8--or had simply never heard of--Presbyterian College, #13--crept into top slots. Though research rankings for both Presbyterian and Wofford were comparatively low, both schools produced extremely strong numbers for service, and performed well in the social mobility standings. And the traditional prestige schools didn't all benefit from the Washington Monthly ranking system. Williams, which U.S. News ranks as the top liberal arts school in the country, wound up at #14 on our list, one slot below Presbyterian, largely because of its weak service numbers.
Patriotic competition
A word on our criteria. This is the first Washington Monthly College Rankings. In future years, we would prefer to expand our criteria and develop an even more comprehensive measure of the qualities by which colleges and universities enrich our country. There's only one problem: Many of these data aren't available. We would love, for example, to add a category, measuring academic excellence. It's nearly impossible, however, to directly gauge the quality of education a student receives at a given school. Most ranking systems rely on measures of inputs--such as the average SAT scores of the incoming class or the size of faculty salaries. But as Amy Graham and Nicholas Thompson noted in these pages four years ago, "[t]hat's like measuring the quality of a restaurant by calculating how much it paid for silverware and food: not completely useless, but pretty far from ideal?'
There is one existing set of data that would do a great deal to answer that question: the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). NSSE compiles such information as the average number of hours students at a particular school spend doing homework or meeting with professors outside of class--measures which, studies show, are highly correlated with academic achievement. Unfortunately), the vast majority of colleges and universities refuse to grant NSSE permission to release their schools' scores to the public, and legislation to force them to do so, sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), has been stifled in Congress. Rather than use data that we believe doesn't accurately measure the quality of an undergraduate education, we chose not to include that category in this year's ranking. We hope to be able to add those measures in the future.
And while we're putting together our wish list, we have a few additional requests. We would prefer that the federal government require every school to report the percentage of Pell Grant recipients who actually graduate, but it doesn't. We would love it if schools kept a systematic count of which professions their graduates entered--such as teaching--but they don't. And we would be thrilled if the federal government tabulated how many of its employees came from which schools.
Still, we have tried to abide by the best principles of social science and used the best data available to generate the closest possible measures of the qualities we value. It pleased us to use metrics for success that were almost all within the means of even the most modest of our nation's universities. For that is more or less the point of this exercise. Succeeding on the Washington Monthly ranking (and succeeding at serving the country) is within the reach of most schools. Granted, most colleges are unlikely to catch up to Johns Hopkins on research overnight. But when it comes to service, Portland finishes first because it has made an institutional commitment to value that work. And in terms of social mobility, schools such as Alabama A&M and South Carolina State--hardly considered academic powerhouses--score very high because their graduation rates are well above what their Pell Grant numbers would have predicted.
The U.S. News rankings, and others like them, have had an impact. A growing body of reporting and scholarship shows that the criteria these guides use have sent administrators scurrying to increase the amount of money given by their alumni or the SAT scores of their incoming freshman in order to improve their score. Such measures have arguably very little impact on how well a school serves its student body, but as schools compete for students, every little thing--including rising or dropping two spots on a list--counts.
Imagine, then, what would happen if thousands of schools were suddenly motivated to try to boost their scores on the Washington Monthly College Rankings. They'd start enrolling greater numbers of low-income students and putting great effort into ensuring that these students graduate. They'd encourage more of their students to join the Peace Corps or the military. They'd intensify their focus on producing more Ph.D. graduates in science and engineering. And as a result, we all would benefit from a wealthier, freer, more vibrant, and democratic country.
RELATED ARTICLE: A Note on methodology.
Each of our three categories included several components. We determined the Community Service score by measuring each school's performance in three different areas: the percentage of their students enrolled in the Army or Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps; the percentage of their students who are currently serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of their federal work-study grants devoted to community service projects. A school's Research score is based on two measurements: the total amount of an institution's research spending, and the number of Ph.Ds awarded by the university in the sciences and engineering. For both Community Service and Research, we weighted each component equally to determine a school's final score in the category.
The Social Mobility score was a little more complicated. We had data that told us the percentage of a school's students on Pell Grants, which is a good measure of a school's commitment to educating lower-income kids. But we wanted to know how many of these students graduate, and, unfortunately, schools aren't required to track those figures. So we devised our own method of estimating that statistic.
Because lower-income students at any school are less likely to graduate than wealthier ones, the percentage of Pell Grant students is an important indicator: Ira campus has a large percentage of Pell Grant students--that is to say, if it is disproportionately poor--it will tend to diminish the school's overall graduation rate. Using data from all of our schools, we have constructed a formula (using a technique called regressional analysis) that will predict a school's likely graduation rate given its percentage of students on Pell. Schools that outperform their forecasted rate will score better than schools that match, or worse undershoot, the mark. For instance, 37 percent of UCLA's students receive Pell Grants from the federal government. Using our analysis, one would expect UCLA to have a much lower graduation rate (a mere 48 percent) than it does (a rather high 87 percent) making it the top performer in the category.
When it came to our methodology; we chose to pursue two primary goals. First, we did not consider any single category more important than any other. And second, the final rankings needed to reflect excellence across the full breadth of our measures, rather than rewarding an exceptionally high focus on, say, research.
All components were weighted equally when calculating the final score. In order to ensure that each measurement contributed equally to a school's score in any given category, we standardized the data sets so that each had a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. The data were also adjusted to account for statistical outliers. In our published list of universities and liberal arts colleges, the data listed reflect a school's actual performance within that criteria. However, for the purposes of calculating the final score, no school's performance in any single area was allowed to exceed three standard deviations from the mean of the data set.
Research assistance provided by Paige Austin, Elizabeth Green, Avi Zenihan, and Brian Beutler.
Top 10 Social Mobility Universities
1. University of California, Los Angeles *
2. Polytechnic University (NY)
3. University of California Berkeley *
4. South Carolina State University *
5. University of California San Diego *
6. Jackson State University (MS) *
7. University of California, Davis *
8. Cornell University (NY)
9. University of California, Riverside*
10. Brigham Young University (UT)
Top 10 Service Universities
1. University of Portland (OR) *
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. College of William and Mary (VA) *
4. George Washington University (DC)
5. Case Western Reserve University (OH)
6. University of San Diego (CA)
7. Texas A &M University *
8. Widener University (PA)
9. Georgetown University (DC)
10. University of Virginia *
Top 10 Research Universities
1. University of Wisconsin, Madison *
2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor *
3. University of California Los Angeles *
4. Stanford University (CA)
5. University of Washington Seattle *
6. University of California, Berkeley *
7i Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign *
9. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities *
10. Pennsylvania State University *
* public university
Top 30 National Universities
Rank in
U.S. News's
College Guide
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7
2. University of California, Los Angeles * 25
3. University of California, Berkeley * 20
4. Cornell University (NY) 13
5. Stanford University (CA) 5
6. Pennsylvania State University * 48
7. Texas A&M University * 60
8. University of California, San Diego * 32
9. University of Pennsylvania 4
10. University of Michigan * 25
11. Johns Hopkins University (MD) 13
12. University of Wisconsin, Madison * 34
13. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign * 42
14. University of Washington, Seattle * 45
15. Yale University (CT) 3
16. Harvard University (MA) 1
17. University of California, Davis * 48
18. Northwestern University (IL) 12
19. University of Southern California (CA) 30
20. The University of Chicago (IL) 15
21. Duke University (NC) 5
22. University of Virginia * 23
23. University of Texas, Austin * 52
24. Case Western Reserve University (OH) 37
25. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill * 27
26. Georgetown University (DC) 23
27. University of Notre Dame (IN) 1
28. Washington University in St. Louis (MO) 11
29. Ohio State University * 60
30. University of Florida * 50
* public university
Top 30 Liberal Arts Colleges
Rank in U.S.
News's
College Guide
1. Wellesley College (MA) 4
2. Wesleyan University (CT) 12
3. Bryn Mawr College (PA) 21
4. Harvey Mudd College (CA) 18
5. Fisk University (TN) **
6. Amherst College (MA) 2
7. Haverford College (PA) 8
8. Wofford College (SC) 55
9. Colby College (ME) 20
10. Spelman College (GA) 73
11. Mount Holyoke College (MA) 23
12. Virginia Military Institute 73
13. Presbyterian College (SC) 100
14. Williams College (MA) 1
15. Furman University (SC) 41
16. Macalester College (MN) 25
17. Middlebury College (VT) 8
18. Barnard College (NY) 27
19. Occidental College (CA) 41
20. Bucknell University (PA) 27
21. Swartmore College (PA) 3
22. Bates College (ME) 21
23. Whitman College (WA) 36
24. Claremont McKenna College (CA) 10
25. Grinnel College (IA) 15
26. Colorado College 27
27. College of the Atlantic (ME) **
28. Morehouse College (GA) **
29. Hamilton College (NY) 15
30. Carleton College (MN) 5
** U.S. News does not provide numerical
rankings of all liberal arts colleges
The Washington Monthly's College Guide
% students
Overall receiving
National Universities Score Pell grants
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 100 13
2. University of California, Los Angeles * 93 37
3. University of California, Berkeley 92 32
4. Cornell University (NY) 86 17
5. Stanford University (CA) 84 12
6. Pennsylvania State University * 83 25
7. Texas A&M University * 83 16
8. University of California, San Diego * 82 30
9. University of Pennsylvania 79 10
10. University of Michigan * 79 13
11. Johns Hopkins University (MD) 78 11
12. University of Wisconsin, Madison * 78 12
13. University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign * 77 16
14. University of Washington, Seattle * 74 21
15. Yale University (CT) 73 10
16. Harvard University (MA) 73 7
17. University of California, Davis * 73 28
18. Northwestern University (IL) 72 9
19. University of Southern California (CA) 72 23
20. The University of Chicago (IL) 71 12
21. Duke University (NC) 70 11
22. University of Virginia * 70 8
23. University of Texas, Austin * 70 19
24. Case Western Reserve University (OH) 70 16
25. University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill * 67 14
26. Georgetown University (DC) 66 11
27. University of Notre Dame (IN) 65 9
28. Washington
University in St. Louis (MO) 65 7
29. The Ohio State University * 65 24
30. University of Florida * 64 24
31. College of William and Mary * (VA) 63 8
32. Columbia University (NY) 63 15
33. Vanderbilt University (TN) 62 11
34. Iowa State University * 62 25
35. Rice University (TX) 62 12
36. University of Rochester (NY) 61 18
37. Dartmouth College (NH) 60 13
38. University of California, Riverside * 60 45
39. The University of Arizona * 59 24
40. South Carolina State University * 59 65
41. Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 59 12
42. George Washington University (DC) 59 9
43. Brown University (RI) 58 11
44. Princeton University (NJ) 56 8
45. University of Portland (OR) * 56 15
46. New York University 56 19
47. Virginia Polytechnic
and State University * 56 14
48. Syracuse University (NY) 56 20
49. Emory University (GA) 55 12
50. University of Iowa * 55 18
51. Georgia Institute of Technology * 55 13
52. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities * 55 18
53. University of
California, Santa Barbara * 54 26
54. University of San Diego (CA) 54 18
55. Purdue University * (IN) 53 17
56. University of Pittsburgh * (PA) 53 22
57. Fordham University (NY) 53 22
58. University of Maryland, College Park * 52 18
59. University of Colorado, Boulder * 52 14
60. Boston University (MA) 52 12
61. Wake Forest University (NC) 51 8
62. Indiana University, Bloomington * 51 16
63. California Institute of Technology 51 16
64. Alabama A&M University * 50 69
65. Marquette University (WI) 49 15
66. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RI) 49 20
67. Rutgers
University, New Brunswick * (NJ) 49 27
68. Michigan State University * 48 19
69. Jackson State University * (MS) 48 73
70. The University of Montana * 48 38
71. University of Missouri, Columbia * 47 17
72. Widener University (PA) 47 24
73. Auburn University * (AL) 47 16
74. Illinois Institute of Technology * 47 19
75. Tufts University (MA) 47 11
76. University of the Pacific (CA) 46 37
77. University of Kentucky * 46 35
78. North Carolina State University * 46 16
79. Boston College (MA) 46 10
80. University of Georgia * 46 14
81. University of Oregon * 44 26
82. Colorado State University * 44 18
83. University of Idaho * 43 37
84. University of Alabama, Birmingham * 42 31
85. Oregon State University * 42 29
86. Tulane University (LA) 42 17
87. University of Wyoming * 41 28
88. University of Illinois, Chicago * 41 34
89. University of Denver (CO) 41 14
90. University of California, Santa Cruz * 41 26
91. Polytechnic University (NY) 41 69
92. Lehigh University (PA) 41 12
93. Arizona State University * 40 24
94. University of Massachusetts, Amherst * 40 23
95. Mississippi State University * 39 30
96. Oklahoma State University * 39 27
97. State University of
New York, Stony Brook * 39 44
98. State University
of New York, Buffalo * 39 38
99. Brandies University (MA) 39 13
100. University of Nebraska * 39 21
101. University of Vermont * 39 16
102. Yeshiva University (NY) 39 13
103. Clemson University * (SC) 39 14
104. University of San Francisco (CA) 38 24
105. University of Delaware * 38 10
106. Florida Institute of Technology * 38 23
107. Northern Arizona University * 38 34
108. University of Utah * 38 26
109. Baylor University (TX) 37 17
110. University of New Hampshire * 37 16
111. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) 37 15
112. The Catholic
University of America (DC) 37 12
113. SUNY College of Environmental Science 37 33
114. Howard University (DC) 36 35
115. Old Dominion University * (VA) 36 28
116. Pepperdine University (CA) 36 19
117. Texas A&M University, Kingsville * 36 60
118. Loyola University, Chicago (IL) 36 26
119. University of Maine * 36 30
120. Florida State University * 36 25
121. University of Missouri Rolla * 35 26
122. National-Louis University (IL) 35 54
123. Utah State University * 35 37
124. Southern Methodist University (TX) 35 15
125. Miami University, Oxford * (OH) 35 16
126. University of Dayton (OH) 35 14
127. Temple University (PA) 35 34
128. Clarkson University (NY) 34 26
129. University of 0klahoma * 34 24
130. University of Hawaii, Manoa * 34 22
131. University of South Florida * 34 29
132. State University
of New York, Albany * 34 32
133. Ohio University * 34 26
134. University of
South Carolina, Columbia * 33 23
135. Brigham Young University (UT) 33 34
136. University of Miami (FL) 33 22
137. University of New Mexico * 33 37
138. University of Connecticut * 32 15
139. University of Maryland,
Baltimore County * 31 22
140. Hofstra University (NY) 31 24
141. Bowling Green State University * (OH) 30 23
142. Kansas State University * 30 26
143. Nova Southeastern University (FL) 30 40
144. Wayne State University * (MI) 30 29
145. University of Houston * (TX) 29 29
146. State University
of New York, Binghamton * 29 32
147. University of Tennessee * 29 21
148. University of La Verne (CA) 29 35
149. Florida International University * 29 33
150. South Dakota State University * 29 31
151. North Dakota State University * 29 27
152. University of Kansas * 29 14
153. Duquesne University (PA) 28 22
154. New Mexico State University * 28 38
155. De Paul University (IL) 28 28
156. Kent State University * (OH) 27 34
157. West Virginia University * 27 27
158. University of Mississippi * 27 26
159. George Mason University * (VA) 27 20
160. University of South Alabama * 27 35
161. Indiana University * (PA) 27 36
162. Union Institute and University (OH) 26 59
163. University of Southern Mississippi * 26 44
164. Southern Illinois
University, Carbondale * 26 36
165. University of Cincinnati * (OH) 25 26
166. University of Central Florida * 25 24
167. University of Arkansas * 25 26
168. Michigan Technological University 25 19
169. University of North Dakota * 25 27
170. Montana State University * 25 32
171. Louisiana State University * 25 20
172. Illinois State University * 25 20
173. Texas A&M University, Commerce * 25 45
174. Seton Hall University (NJ) 24 22
175. Saint Louis University (MO) 24 13
176. University of St. Thomas (MN) 24 15
177. Clark University (MA) 24 19
178. Tennessee State University * 23 52
179. Texas Christian University 23 14
180. Louisiana Tech University * 23 28
181. University of Alabama * 23 25
182. The American University (DC) 23 11
183. University of Nevada, Las Vegas * 22 20
184. Pace University (NY) 22 34
185. Drexel University (PA) 22 18
186. San Diego State University * (CA) 21 30
187. East Carolina University (NC) * 21 27
188. 0ark Atlanta University (GA) 20 57
189. Andrews University (MI) 20 40
190. University of Rhode Island * 20 22
191. Wright State University (OH) * 20 28
192. University of Toledo (OH) 19 31
193. University of Louisville (KY) * 19 24
194. Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) 18 22
195. University of Tulsa (OK) 18 21
196. Texas Tech University * 18 21
197. Western Michigan University * 18 19
198. Northern Illinois University * 18 27
199. Rutgers University, Newark * (NJ) 18 27
200. Virginia Commonwealth University * 17 22
201. New School University (NY) 17 22
202. Washington State University * 17 28
203. University of Texas, El Paso * 17 51
204. Northeastern University (MA) 16 13
205. University of Akron (OH) 16 34
206. Biola University (CA) 16 25
207. East Tennessee State University * 16 36
208. Middle Tennessee State University * 16 27
209. Central Michigan University * 15 25
210. Indiana University-
Purdue Indianapolis * 15 29
211. University of Alabama, Huntsville * 15 23
212. Adelphi University (NY) 15 25
213. Texas Southern University * 14 71
214. Idaho State 14 56
215. New Jersey Institute of Technology 14 25
216. University of Northern Colorado * 14 19
217. University of Memphis (TN) 14 35
218. University of North
Carolina, Greensboro * 13 29
219. University of Missouri, Kansas City * 13 21
220. University of North Texas * 13 24
221. University of Nevada, Reno * 13 14
222. Texas Woman's University 12 37
223. Portland State University * (OR) 12 32
224. University of Colorado, Denver * 11 17
225. University of Bridgeport (CT) 11 36
226. University of Texas, Arlington * 11 26
227. University of Alaska, Fairbanks * 11 20
228. Ball State University * (IN) 11 23
229. University of Texas, Dallas * 10 22
230. Georgia State University * 9 29
231. University of Massachusetts, Boston * 8 25
232. Florida Atlantic University 8 21
233. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee * 7 22
234. Alliant International University (CA) 7 43
235. University of Hartford (CT) 6 15
236. New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Tech. 6 25
237. Wichita State University * (KS) 6 29
238. Cleveland State University * (OH) 5 37
239. Indiana State University * 4 29
240. University of Massachusetts, Lowell 3 16
241. University of New Orleans (LA) 3 39
242. University of Louisiana, Lafayette 2 34
243. Oakland University (MI) 1 16
244. University of Arkansas, Little Rock * 0 46
245. University of Missouri, St. Louis * 0 22
Predicted/ Change in
actual graduation
graduation rates
National Universities rate (rank)
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 72/92 20(19)
2. University of California, Los Angeles * 47/87 40(1)
3. University of California, Berkeley 53/85 32(3)
4. Cornell University (NY) 68/92 24(8)
5. Stanford University (CA) 73/94 21(16)
6. Pennsylvania State University * 60/82 22(14)
7. Texas A&M University * 69/75 6(78)
8. University of California, San Diego * 55/83 28(5)
9. University of Pennsylvania 75/92 17(32)
10. University of Michigan * 72/85 13(46)
11. Johns Hopkins University (MD) 74/88 14(45)
12. University of Wisconsin, Madison * 73/76 3(101)
13. University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign * 69/81 12(54)
14. University of Washington, Seattle * 64/71 7(72)
15. Yale University (CT) 75/96 21(15)
16. Harvard University (MA) 78/98 20(23)
17. University of California, Davis * 57/81 24(7)
18. Northwestern University (IL) 76/93 17(31)
19. University of Southern California (CA) 62/81 19(24)
20. The University of Chicago (IL) 73/87 14(44)
21. Duke University (NC) 74/94 20(22)
22. University of Virginia * 77/92 15(38)
23. University of Texas, Austin * 66/71 5(84)
24. Case Western Reserve University (OH) 69/79 10(63)
25. University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill * 71/83 12(55)
26. Georgetown University (DC) 74/93 19(26)
27. University of Notre Dame (IN) 76/95 19(25)
28. Washington
University in St. Louis (MO) 78/89 11(58)
29. The Ohio State University * 61/62 1(111)
30. University of Florida * 61/77 16(37)
31. College of William and Mary * (VA) 77/90 13(51)
32. Columbia University (NY) 70/90 20(18)
33. Vanderbilt University (TN) 74/83 9(66)
34. Iowa State University * 60/66 6(77)
35. Rice University (TX) 73/91 18(30)
36. University of Rochester (NY) 67/78 11(59)
37. Dartmouth College (NH) 72/95 23(11)
38. University of California, Riverside * 40/64 24(9)
39. The University of Arizona * 61/55 -6(165)
40. South Carolina State University * 20/49 29(4)
41. Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 73/81 8(67)
42. George Washington University (DC) 76/75 -1(128)
43. Brown University (RI) 74/96 22(12)
44. Princeton University (NJ) 77/97 20(20)
45. University of Portland (OR) * 70/67 -3(140)
46. New York University 66/79 13(49)
47. Virginia Polytechnic
and State University * 71/74 3(100)
48. Syracuse University (NY) 65/81 16(35)
49. Emory University (GA) 73/91 18(29)
50. University of Iowa * 67/65 -2(138)
51. Georgia Institute of Technology * 72/69 -3(143)
52. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities * 67/54 -13(206)
53. University of
California, Santa Barbara * 59/74 15(39)
54. University of San Diego (CA) 67/72 5(89)
55. Purdue University * (IN) 68/66 -2(135)
56. University of Pittsburgh * (PA) 63/65 2(107)
57. Fordham University (NY) 63/79 16(33)
58. University of Maryland, College Park * 67/71 4(91)
59. University of Colorado, Boulder * 72/68 -4(148)
60. Boston University (MA) 74/75 1(109)
61. Wake Forest University (NC) 77/87 10(62)
62. Indiana University, Bloomington * 69/72 3(99)
63. California Institute of Technology 70/88 18(27)
64. Alabama A&M University * 16/38 22(13)
65. Marquette University (WI) 70/76 6(75)
66. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RI) 65/81 16(36)
67. Rutgers
University, New Brunswick * (NJ) 58/72 14(42)
68. Michigan State University * 66/69 3(95)
69. Jackson State University * (MS) 11/37 26(6)
70. The University of Montana * 47/45 -2(137)
71. University of Missouri, Columbia * 68/66 -2(136)
72. Widener University (PA) 61/58 -3(142)
73. Auburn University * (AL) 69/68 -1(132)
74. Illinois Institute of Technology * 66/67 1(117)
75. Tufts University (MA) 74/90 16(34)
76. University of the Pacific (CA) 48/68 20(21)
77. University of Kentucky * 50/61 11(56)
78. North Carolina State University * 70/63 -7(172)
79. Boston College (MA) 75/89 14(41)
80. University of Georgia * 71/71 0(126)
81. University of Oregon * 59/60 1(118)
82. Colorado State University * 67/62 -5(162)
83. University of Idaho * 48/53 5(80)
84. University of Alabama, Birmingham * 54/62 8(68)
85. Oregon State University * 56/61 5(82)
86. Tulane University (LA) 68/74 6(74)
87. University of Wyoming * 57/57 0(123)
88. University of Illinois, Chicago * 51/46 -5(156)
89. University of Denver (CO) 71/71 0(122)
90. University of California, Santa Cruz * 59/65 6(76)
91. Polytechnic University (NY) 16/55 39(2)
92. Lehigh University (PA) 73/86 13(48)
93. Arizona State University * 61/52 -9(190)
94. University of Massachusetts, Amherst * 63/64 1(108)
95. Mississippi State University * 55/57 2(105)
96. Oklahoma State University * 58/58 0(120)
97. State University of
New York, Stony Brook * 41/56 15(40)
98. State University
of New York, Buffalo * 47/57 10(61)
99. Brandies University (MA) 72/84 12(52)
100. University of Nebraska * 64/59 -5(157)
101. University of Vermont * 69/70 1(112)
102. Yeshiva University (NY) 72/72 0(119)
103. Clemson University * (SC) 71/72 1(115)
104. University of San Francisco (CA) 61/66 5(81)
105. University of Delaware * 75/74 -1(131)
106. Florida Institute of Technology * 62/54 -8(184)
107. Northern Arizona University * 51/52 1(116)
108. University of Utah * 59/51 -8(182)
109. Baylor University (TX) 68/70 2(106)
110. University of New Hampshire * 69/73 4(94)
111. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) 70/77 7(73)
112. The Catholic
University of America (DC) 73/69 -4(154)
113. SUNY College of Environmental Science 52/70 18(28)
114. Howard University (DC) 50/58 8(70)
115. Old Dominion University * (VA) 57/42 -15(208)
116. Pepperdine University (CA) 66/80 14(43)
117. Texas A&M University, Kingsville * 25/22 -3(144)
118. Loyola University, Chicago (IL) 59/68 9(64)
119. University of Maine * 55/60 5(83)
120. Florida State University * 60/63 3(96)
121. University of Missouri Rolla * 59/60 1(114)
122. National-Louis University (IL) 31/18 -13(204)
123. Utah State University * 48/42 -6(164)
124. Southern Methodist University (TX) 70/72 2(104)
125. Miami University, Oxford * (OH) 69/80 11(60)
126. University of Dayton (OH) 71/76 5(88)
127. Temple University (PA) 51/54 3(98)
128. Clarkson University (NY) 59/64 5(86)
129. University of 0klahoma * 61/54 -7(173)
130. University of Hawaii, Manoa * 63/54 -9(188)
131. University of South Florida * 56/56 0(125)
132. State University
of New York, Albany * 53/66 13(47)
133. Ohio University * 59/70 11(57)
134. University of
South Carolina, Columbia * 62/61 -1(127)
135. Brigham Young University (UT) 51/74 23(10)
136. University of Miami (FL) 63/67 4(92)
137. University of New Mexico * 48/42 -6(170)
138. University of Connecticut * 70/70 0(124)
139. University of Maryland,
Baltimore County * 63/55 -8(180)
140. Hofstra University (NY) 61/53 -8(179)
141. Bowling Green State University * (OH) 62/65 3(102)
142. Kansas State University * 59/56 -3(139)
143. Nova Southeastern University (FL) 45/50 5(90)
144. Wayne State University * (MI) 56/31 -25(237)
145. University of Houston * (TX) 56/40 -16(209)
146. State University
of New York, Binghamton * 53/66 13(50)
147. University of Tennessee * 64/59 -5(155)
148. University of La Verne (CA) 50/50 0(121)
149. Florida International University * 52/47 -5(161)
150. South Dakota State University * 54/53 -1(130)
151. North Dakota State University * 58/53 -5(158)
152. University of Kansas * 71/58 -13(205)
153. Duquesne University (PA) 63/72 9(65)
154. New Mexico State University * 47/43 -4(150)
155. De Paul University (IL) 57/64 7(71)
156. Kent State University * (OH) 51/49 -2(133)
157. West Virginia University * 58/56 -2(134)
158. University of Mississippi * 59/56 -3(145)
159. George Mason University * (VA) 65/49 -16(211)
160. University of South Alabama * 50/31 -19(218)
161. Indiana University * (PA) 49/51 2(103)
162. Union Institute and University (OH) 26/47 21(17)
163. University of Southern Mississippi * 41/46 5(87)
164. Southern Illinois
University, Carbondale * 49/43 -6(167)
165. University of Cincinnati * (OH) 59/48 -11(197)
166. University of Central Florida * 61/54 -7(178)
167. University of Arkansas * 59/48 -11(198)
168. Michigan Technological University 66/61 -5(159)
169. University of North Dakota * 58/54 -4(152)
170. Montana State University * 53/44 -9(186)
171. Louisiana State University * 65/56 -9(189)
172. Illinois State University * 65/59 -6(166)
173. Texas A&M University, Commerce * 40/36 -4(146)
174. Seton Hall University (NJ) 63/59 -4(147)
175. Saint Louis University (MO) 72/71 -1(129)
176. University of St. Thomas (MN) 70/74 4(93)
177. Clark University (MA) 66/67 1(110)
178. Tennessee State University * 33/45 12(53)
179. Texas Christian University 71/65 -6(171)
180. Louisiana Tech University * 57/52 -5(160)
181. University of Alabama * 60/44 -16(210)
182. The American University (DC) 74/71 -3(141)
183. University of Nevada, Las Vegas * 65/38 -27(242)
184. Pace University (NY) 51/56 5(79)
185. Drexel University (PA) 67/57 -10(194)
186. San Diego State University * (CA) 55/44 -11(195)
187. East Carolina University (NC) * 58/54 -4(151)
188. 0ark Atlanta University (GA) 28/31 3(97)
189. Andrews University (MI) 45/53 8(69)
190. University of Rhode Island * 63/56 -7(176)
191. Wright State University (OH) * 57/40 -17(213)
192. University of Toledo (OH) 54/42 -12(202)
193. University of Louisville (KY) * 61/35 -26(240)
194. Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) 63/68 5(85)
195. University of Tulsa (OK) 64/55 -9(185)
196. Texas Tech University * 64/54 -10(191)
197. Western Michigan University * 66/56 -10(192)
198. Northern Illinois University * 58/53 -5(163)
199. Rutgers University, Newark * (NJ) 58/51 -7(174)
200. Virginia Commonwealth University * 63/42 -21(221)
201. New School University (NY) 63/59 -4(149)
202. Washington State University * 57/31 -26(241)
203. University of Texas, El Paso * 34/26 -8(181)
204. Northeastern University (MA) 72/60 12(201)
205. University of Akron (OH) 51/41 -10(193)
206. Biola University (CA) 60/51 -9(187)
207. East Tennessee State University * 49/38 -11(200)
208. Middle Tennessee State University * 58/40 -18(216)
209. Central Michigan University * 60/49 -11(199)
210. Indiana University-
Purdue Indianapolis * 56/23 -33(244)
211. University of Alabama, Huntsville * 62/39 -23(229)
212. Adelphi University (NY) 60/53 -7(177)
213. Texas Southern University * 14/15 1(113)
214. Idaho State 29/22 -7(175)
215. New Jersey Institute of Technology 60/49 -11(196)
216. University of Northern Colorado * 66/47 -19(219)
217. University of Memphis (TN) 50/33 -17(212)
218. University of North
Carolina, Greensboro * 56/50 -6(169)
219. University of Missouri, Kansas City * 64/41 -23(230)
220. University of North Texas * 61/39 -22(227)
221. University of Nevada, Reno * 71/48 -23(232)
222. Texas Woman's University 48/35 -13(203)
223. Portland State University * (OR) 53/33 -20(220)
224. University of Colorado, Denver * 68/39 -29(243)
225. University of Bridgeport (CT) 49/41 -8(183)
226. University of Texas, Arlington * 59/37 -22(226)
227. University of Alaska, Fairbanks * 66/24 -42(245)
228. Ball State University * (IN) 62/49 -13(207)
229. University of Texas, Dallas * 63/57 -6(168)
230. Georgia State University * 56/32 -24(233)
231. University of Massachusetts, Boston * 60/34 -26(238)
232. Florida Atlantic University 58/35 -23(231)
233. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee * 63/39 -24(234)
234. Alliant International University (CA) 42/38 -4(153)
235. University of Hartford (CT) 70/52 -18(215)
236. New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Tech. 60/42 -18(217)
237. Wichita State University * (KS) 56/33 -23(228)
238. Cleveland State University * (OH) 48/27 -21(222)
239. Indiana State University * 56/39 -17(214)
240. University of Massachusetts, Lowell 69/43 -26(239)
241. University of New Orleans (LA) 46/24 -22(225)
242. University of Louisiana, Lafayette 51/30 -21(224)
243. Oakland University (MI) 69/44 -25(236)
244. University of Arkansas, Little Rock * 39/18 -21(223)
245. University of Missouri, St. Louis * 63/38 -25(235)
Research
grant $ in Ph.D.s
millions awarded
National Universities (rank) (rank)
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 455(13) 402(6)
2. University of California, Los Angeles * 788(2) 390(8)
3. University of California, Berkeley 475(11) 583(1)
4. Cornell University (NY) 496(9) 336(14)
5. Stanford University (CA) 538(7) 462(2)
6. Pennsylvania State University * 443(14) 377(9)
7. Texas A&M University * 437(16) 361(10)
8. University of California, San Diego * 585(6) 219(30)
9. University of Pennsylvania 522(8) 217(31)
10. University of Michigan * 674(3) 426(5)
11. Johns Hopkins University (MD) 1,140(1) 224(26)
12. University of Wisconsin, Madison * 662(4) 445(3)
13. University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign * 427(18) 439(4)
14. University of Washington, Seattle * 627(5) 345(13)
15. Yale University (CT) 354(27) 213(33)
16. Harvard University (MA) 401(21) 312(16)
17. University of California, Davis * 457(12) 309(17)
18. Northwestern University (IL) 282(36) 202(35)
19. University of Southern California (CA) 372(25) 300(18)
20. The University of Chicago (IL) 225(46) 214(32)
21. Duke University (NC) 442(15) 163(46)
22. University of Virginia * 182(62) 161(47)
23. University of Texas, Austin * 321(30) 392(7)
24. Case Western Reserve University (OH) 219(50) 125(66)
25. University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill * 371(26) 223(27)
26. Georgetown University (DC) 96(96) 64(111)
27. University of Notre Dame (IN) 52(120) 104(76)
28. Washington
University in St. Louis (MO) 417(19) 147(54)
29. The Ohio State University * 432(17) 250(23)
30. University of Florida * 386(24) 314(15)
31. College of William and Mary * (VA) 40(134) 28(167)
32. Columbia University (NY) 405(20) 203(34)
33. Vanderbilt University (TN) 208(53) 124(67)
34. Iowa State University * 189(58) 183(40)
35. Rice University (TX) 48(122) 83(93)
36. University of Rochester (NY) 262(39) 127(64)
37. Dartmouth College (NH) 127(78) 64(111)
38. University of California, Riverside * 112(84) 90(87)
39. The University of Arizona * 391(23) 260(21)
40. South Carolina State University * 3(215) 1(228)
41. Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 188(59) 141(56)
42. George Washington University (DC) 86(101) 104(76)
43. Brown University (RI) 109(87) 96(82)
44. Princeton University (NJ) 164(68) 180(41)
45. University of Portland (OR) * 1(229) 0(231)
46. New York University 223(47) 165(44)
47. Virginia Polytechnic
and State University * 233(44) 198(36)
48. Syracuse University (NY) 46(129) 78(95)
49. Emory University (GA) 271(37) 86(92)
50. University of Iowa * 289(33) 116(70)
51. Georgia Institute of Technology * 340(28) 222(28)
52. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities * 494(10) 351(12)
53. University of
California, Santa Barbara * 132(77) 184(39)
54. University of San Diego (CA) 3(217) 0(231)
55. Purdue University * (IN) 286(34) 357(11)
56. University of Pittsburgh * (PA) 400(22) 185(38)
57. Fordham University (NY) 4(212) 31(163)
58. University of Maryland, College Park * 325(29) 277(19)
59. University of Colorado, Boulder * 220(49) 231(24)
60. Boston University (MA) 193(57) 155(51)
61. Wake Forest University (NC) 112(85) 35(155)
62. Indiana University, Bloomington * 120(82) 164(45)
63. California Institute of Technology 220(48) 135(58)
64. Alabama A&M University * 16(176) 5(217)
65. Marquette University (WI) 10(195) 15(194)
66. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RI) 46(128) 121(68)
67. Rutgers
University, New Brunswick * (NJ) 230(45) 227(25)
68. Michigan State University * 290(32) 252(22)
69. Jackson State University * (MS) 25(156) 4(221)
70. The University of Montana * 39(135) 23(178)
71. University of Missouri, Columbia * 177(65) 166(43)
72. Widener University (PA) 0(235) 0(231)
73. Auburn University * (AL) 109(90) 116(70)
74. Illinois Institute of Technology * 20(169) 57(121)
75. Tufts University (MA) 109(89) 67(108)
76. University of the Pacific (CA) 2(221) 5(217)
77. University of Kentucky * 236(43) 131(62)
78. North Carolina State University * 290(31) 268(20)
79. Boston College (MA) 32(147) 53(126)
80. University of Georgia * 285(35) 221(29)
81. University of Oregon * 44(132) 80(94)
82. Colorado State University * 179(64) 157(50)
83. University of Idaho * 77(106) 57(120)
84. University of Alabama, Birmingham * 255(41) 94(85)
85. Oregon State University * 162(70) 128(63)
86. Tulane University (LA) 103(95) 61(116)
87. University of Wyoming * 42(133) 43(141)
88. University of Illinois, Chicago * 260(40) 149(52)
89. University of Denver (CO) 11(191) 33(157)
90. University of California, Santa Cruz * 71(108) 89(90)
91. Polytechnic University (NY) 11(190) 24(175)
92. Lehigh University (PA) 23(166) 78(95)
93. Arizona State University * 123(80) 178(42)
94. University of Massachusetts, Amherst * 109(88) 127(64)
95. Mississippi State University * 159(71) 46(138)
96. Oklahoma State University * 95(98) 96(82)
97. State University of
New York, Stony Brook * 184(61) 191(37)
98. State University
of New York, Buffalo * 242(42) 142(55)
99. Brandies University (MA) 47(126) 60(118)
100. University of Nebraska * 171(66) 148(53)
101. University of Vermont * 89(100) 28(167)
102. Yeshiva University (NY) 157(72) 68(107)
103. Clemson University * (SC) 135(75) 76(100)
104. University of San Francisco (CA) 0(237) 0(231)
105. University of Delaware * 85(102) 102(78)
106. Florida Institute of Technology * 7(201) 32(160)
107. Northern Arizona University * 17(174) 13(202)
108. University of Utah * 217(52) 160(48)
109. Baylor University (TX) 4(210) 14(198)
110. University of New Hampshire * 93(99) 36(153)
111. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) 10(192) 17(189)
112. The Catholic
University of America (DC) 23(164) 37(149)
113. SUNY College of Environmental Science 26(153) 30(165)
114. Howard University (DC) 35(143) 52(127)
115. Old Dominion University * (VA) 29(151) 55(124)
116. Pepperdine University (CA) 0(237) 0(231)
117. Texas A&M University, Kingsville * 8(199) 3(226)
118. Loyola University, Chicago (IL) 38(138) 51(129)
119. University of Maine * 62(116) 37(149)
120. Florida State University * 134(76) 115(73)
121. University of Missouri Rolla * 32(146) 51(129)
122. National-Louis University (IL) 0(237) 0(231)
123. Utah State University * 122(81) 47(136)
124. Southern Methodist University (TX) 10(196) 40(144)
125. Miami University, Oxford * (OH) 13(181) 31(163)
126. University of Dayton (OH) 47(127) 15(194)
127. Temple University (PA) 64(114) 67(108)
128. Clarkson University (NY) 8(197) 14(198)
129. University of 0klahoma * 107(92) 78(95)
130. University of Hawaii, Manoa * 162(69) 92(86)
131. University of South Florida * 198(56) 77(99)
132. State University
of New York, Albany * 67(110) 102(78)
133. Ohio University * 37(140) 50(132)
134. University of
South Carolina, Columbia * 123
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