Best Public University?

Here’s an interesting take on the subject:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2017/04/04/collegerank.html

  1. University of Michigan (Michigan)
  2. University of North Carolina (North Carolina)
  3. University of California-Berkeley (California)
  4. University of Virginia (Virginia)
  5. University of California-Los Angeles (California)
  6. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia)
  7. University of Washington (Washington)
  8. University of Illinois (Illinois)
  9. University of Maryland (Maryland)
  10. College of William and Mary (Virginia)

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2017/04/04/collegemethod.html

“The study’s objective was to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students. The highest marks went to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, impressive earnings by alumni, generous resources, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.”

@Alexandre The reforms instituted by the British government this year abolish all limits on the number of foreign students that can be admitted to all courses except medicine. Admissions policy is now firmly in the hands of the universities. To this extent, British universities are much “freer” from government control than in Wisconsin or California.

The one exception to this–as in the United States–pertains to diversity and the government does require universities to demonstrate that they are not discriminating against students on the basis of race or socio-economic status (or EU national status). It does not however prescribe how this should be done. The British courts, unlike their American cousins, have said how this is managed is a matter for the universities.

You definitely know a lot more about British universities exlibris. Thanks for clarifying and updating my information. On a separate note, when I visited Cambridge and Oxford many years ago, their campuses left me breathless. Far and away the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen.

Oxford and Cambridge are beautiful but they offer a very different type of educational experience, one that is far more specialized from the beginning and offers none of the depth of American universities. I don’t think one system is necessarily better than the other. I personally prefer the American model if only because it allows you to explore your interests more. Alas, the American model is also incredibly expensive. The challenge will be finding a way to sustain the model.