"U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today unveiled the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges. As students and schools across the nation grapple with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. News remains committed to providing data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options.
‘The pandemic has affected students across the country, canceling commencement ceremonies and switching classes from in person to remote,’ said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. ‘Whether students have slightly altered their college plans or changed them entirely, it remains our mission to continue providing students and their families with the tools they need to help find the right school for them.’
This year’s edition includes several updates to the Best Colleges methodology that address important issues directly impacting students and their families. These new measures look at timely topics such as student debt, social mobility, and test-blind admissions policies. In this edition, U.S. News:" …
Duke slipping to #12 is the most interesting to me. Duke has been moving slowly but steadily downward from its peak in the late 90s/early 2000s (#3 in 1998), and this is the first time it’s ranked outside the top 10 since 1988.
@warblersrule : Interesting observation regarding Duke University. Nevertheless, its current ranking seems about right when examining the list of universities ranked ahead of Duke.
For 2020-21, the typical student expense budget at Amherst College includes but not limited to:
Comprehensive fee (tuition, room and board): $75,800
Other student fees (student activities, campus center programs and residential governance): $1,000
Health insurance* (may be waived): $2,358
Tuition insurance (may be waived): $118 (per semester) ***
Books and supplies (estimated): $1,000
Personal expenses (estimated): $1,800
Travel/Transportation** (estimated; varies by location): $50-$2,500
Cost of attendance: $82,008 – $84,458
According to the 2019-20 CDS, most Amherst students claimed FA with an average grant size of $59k. I’m sure the numbers will be higher this year. If most students claim grant-based FA and receive such large grants, it is misleading to imply the 'typical student expense" is $76k. Instead a minority of students have such high expenses… generally students who are quite wealthy.
^^^^^It’s been that way for years. Are you just visiting USNWR rankings for the first time? The bigger surprise is when UCLA overtook them in the recent past.
As the saying goes, Berkeley is the University of California’s past, UCLA is the University of California’s present, and (some add), Irvine is the University of California’s future.
From the Amherst website below - if 60% receive financial aid then 40% of students do not. Health insurance can only be waived if you provide evidence of your own insurance. All students must be covered. For those accepted financial aid or not it is a top notch education!
Nearly 60% of our students receive financial aid. Our average financial aid award last year was more than $58,000. So the majority of our students pay less – often far less – than the cost of attendance.