@barrons, you can dislike Nancy Cantor’s goals and leadership choices, but to say she “preferred social justice over quality” is completely unsupported by your article.
In fact, she admits the mantra of CC, that “rankings don’t matter”, made many improvements, raised a tremendous amount of money, and had a building named after her.
The link you posted clearly shows the opposite of what you said, so I am confused.
Regarding Honors colleges within the university, do you feel that it’s an important consideration for whether a college is “on the way up”. If you look at the attached article, many public universities have less than 1,000 student in the honors college which would not really have an effect on the general population of students at the college. For example, CSU Fresno has 200 students in the honors college but an undergraduate of 21,000 (1% in the Honors College)?
Previously posted under College Search and Selection:
I compared SAT midpoint scores from the 2016 with SAT midpoint scores from 2003. Here are the schools that showed an increase of at least 50 SAT points based on CR/Verbal plus Math. If data for 2016 was missing from IPEDS, I used 2015 or 2014. If data from 2003 was missing from IPEDS, I used 2002 or 2001.
Northeastern is still trending up.
SAT increase, SAT midpoint 2016, name of school
0260 1420 Northeastern University
0185 0810 Paul Quinn College
0173 1060 University of Sioux Falls
0170 1505 Vanderbilt University
0170 1085 University of Mount Olive
0160 1240 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
0145 0965 Siena Heights University
0135 1165 University of Massachusetts-Lowell
0122 0952 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
0120 1525 University of Chicago
0120 1135 Florida Southern College
0120 1110 Nova Southeastern University
0115 1315 Southern Methodist University
0115 1000 Kuyper College
0110 1445 Tufts University
0110 1160 CUNY Hunter College
0110 1130 Champlain College
0110 1120 CUNY City College
0105 1025 Becker College
0105 1485 Johns Hopkins University
0105 0955 Sterling College
0105 1025 Olivet College
0102 1027 Concordia University-Wisconsin
0100 1405 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
0100 1285 Ohio State University-Main Campus
0100 1160 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
0100 1100 University of New Hampshire at Manchester
0100 1000 Tuskegee University
0098 0958 University of North Alabama
0095 1255 Hobart William Smith Colleges
0095 1255 University of California-Santa Barbara
0095 1230 University of Massachusetts-Amherst
0095 0895 Delaware State University
0092 1257 Concordia College at Moorhead
0091 0945 St Thomas University
0090 1480 Northwestern University
0090 1405 University of California-Berkeley
0090 1335 Colorado School of Mines
0090 1350 Stevens Institute of Technology
0090 1300 Santa Clara University
0090 1285 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
0090 1210 University of South Carolina-Columbia
0090 1145 University of Houston
0090 1105 CUNY Brooklyn College
0090 1070 University of Massachusetts-Boston
0090 1110 North Greenville University
0090 0825 Stillman College
0085 1485 Washington University in St Louis
0085 1465 Carnegie Mellon University
0085 1195 University of North Carolina Wilmington
0085 1065 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York
0084 1270 Fordham University
0080 1490 Rice University
0080 1445 University of Notre Dame
0080 1425 Grinnell College
0080 1315 SUNY at Binghamton
0080 1170 Simmons College
0080 1210 University of Denver
0080 1065 LIU Post
0080 1020 Limestone College
0080 0995 CUNY Lehman College
0075 1500 Columbia University in the City of New York
0075 1470 Brown University
0075 1160 University of South Florida-Main Campus
0073 1098 High Point University
0070 1390 Hamilton College
0070 1410 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
0070 1380 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
0070 1300 University of Miami
0070 1285 Denison University
0070 1215 Baylor University
0070 1225 Loyola Marymount University
0070 1175 Indiana University-Bloomington
0070 1115 Emmanuel College
0070 1210 New Jersey Institute of Technology
0070 1075 Molloy College
0070 1070 Liberty University
0070 0970 SUNY College at Old Westbury
0069 1110 Dallas Baptist University
0069 1132 Arizona State University-Polytechnic
0065 1415 Vassar College
0065 1260 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
0065 1230 University of Connecticut
0065 1110 Georgia Southern University
0065 1055 Central Washington University
0065 1000 Ursuline College
0065 0920 Waldorf University
0065 0955 Texas A & M University-Kingsville
0060 1385 Case Western Reserve University
0060 1255 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
0060 1245 University of Washington-Seattle Campus
0060 1160 Seton Hall University
0060 1060 Lesley University
0060 1090 CUNY Queens College
0060 0995 Jacksonville State University
0060 0925 University of Bridgeport
0060 0935 Indiana University-East
0060 0870 Elizabeth City State University
0060 1120 Temple University
0058 1150 Lawrence Technological University
0058 1028 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington
0055 1475 University of Pennsylvania
0055 1430 Cornell University
0055 1390 University of Southern California
0055 1365 New York University
0055 1250 Milwaukee School of Engineering
0055 1260 Stony Brook University
0055 1200 University of Alabama in Huntsville
0055 1140 University of San Francisco
0055 1150 Arizona State University-Tempe
0055 1100 SUNY College at Plattsburgh
0055 1035 San Jose State University
0055 1020 Marian University
0055 0965 Purdue University-Calumet Campus
0055 0995 University of Arkansas at Little Rock
0055 1120 University of Louisville
0053 0935 University of South Carolina-Beaufort
0050 1475 Duke University
0050 1420 Haverford College
0050 1405 Wellesley College
0050 1365 Scripps College
0050 1270 Brigham Young University-Provo
0050 1315 University of California-Los Angeles
0050 1310 University of California-San Diego
0050 1220 Pepperdine University
0050 1180 Seattle University
0050 1155 George Mason University
0050 1195 Purdue University-Main Campus
0050 1115 University of North Carolina at Charlotte
0050 1080 Ball State University
0050 1110 San Diego State University
0050 1080 Baker University
0050 0985 University of Saint Joseph
0050 0965 Lynn University
0050 1000 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington
0050 0960 Grand View University
Are scores from applicants? Or from students who matriculate?
The scores are for matriculated students. Excludes schools that did not report SATs to the US Dept of Education for some reason.
Wow, interesting thread. If I were to summarize, here are the names I keep seeing. This is important because even though we all want to cheerlead for our favorite schools, spotting concrete trends (the same names appearing over and again) is perhaps most useful.
Denison, Elon, Rowan, Santa Clara, UCF, UMBC, UGA, U of Denver
Richmond was mentioned several times, but I’m sorry. Richmond’s always been prestigious. As an LAC, of course it’s going to be relatively anonymous among the general public (this is so for even tippy-top LACs; the average person has never heard of, say, Carleton). There was some disagreement about UGA, but I think it belongs as it’s been a continual riser. Only a few years ago did I learn just how selective UGA has become, how for many GA HS students it’s like getting into an elite school (and it is). I’m guessing that there are a lot of other people like me who watched the Bulldogs on college football Saturdays without realizing just how difficult of an admit UGA has become.
Others to keep an eye on? Someone mentioned High Point, which seems to be following the Elon model: once regional school that is trying to become the target of certain families and guidance counselors nationwide. Wouldn’t be surprised to see it become the “new Elon” in 5+ years, though it has a ways to go. USF (which was mentioned, but not as often as UCF). I’m a midwesterner now living in Orlando, and, yes, the FL universities are hot (pardon the pun) right now. To the person who posted the link on how USF is now a tough admit: thank you. Very interesting read.
Most surprised? Rowan. I had always thought of this school as being in that mass of NJ schools that I had heard of by name but never researched: Kean, Montclair, Rider. Clearly, I need to learn more.
*its
Richmond is certainly continuing to climb in the rankings - it’s been trending for awhile now but it hasn’t always been at the top of any lists. I live in Richmond and have watched it grow over the last 30 years. It was a regional university for many years and it didn’t make the National Liberal Arts list until 2005. It continues to inch up and now sits at 23.
@Hapworth , I think you need to add Gonzaga to that list. It’s been mentioned several times. The more I hear about it, the more I like what I hear.
I’m definitely seeing an upward trend in UCI. When my older sister committed (five years ago!) she was the only one in my high school going there, but when I graduated high school it was the most popular UC (and I live in NorCal). It’s becoming more reputable not just because of academics but also location. Their housing decisions actually got a bit controversial last year because so many students committed, though.
@socaldad2002 South Carolina became an attractive alternative to students in my area of MD as UMD became very hard to get into for in state students. It also is part of the Academic Common Market so for certain majors, kids from MD could get in state tuition at South Carolina. For kids who might not have the stats to get into UMD, South Carolina offered a similar college experience (Greek life, sports, big school, etc). On top of that, some of those kids had high enough stats to get merit aid. Suddenly, as more kids from our area started heading that way for college, more kids started to see it as an option. Then as more kids from our area started attending, the kids with high stats started applying as well since merit aid was attractive. My post wasn’t meant to imply the honors college necessarily has anything to do with whether a school is on its way up. I was just pointing out that as the school itself became an attractive option to kids from my area (and kids from our private school), some of the higher stats kids started applying as well. In the last few years, quite a few were admitted to the honors college and with merit aid, and have chosen South Carolina over more prestigious schools. Will South Carolina continue to be an attractive choice here? I can’t say, but it is seen as a fairly respectable option at the moment, while a handful of years ago, you wouldn’t have seen many above average stats kids from here applying. By comparison, SEC schools such as Alabama and Ole Miss also are popular places to apply, but so far, it’s mainly the average students from our h.s. who apply/attend - those schools are not attracting the same caliber of kids from our school/area that South Carolina is attracting.
My friend’s son is as USCar. He loves it! He’s from NY and is having a great time. My friend says he loves the school spirit and the weather. He joined a fraternity and has kept his scholarship, which has made it very affordable. Seems a good option for saving money.
U of Richmond is the next Davidson.
I would agree that University of Richmond will continue to rise quickly.
It is one of the largest LAC’s which was a big plus for my D. The impressive campus, great dining options, well regarded business school and internship opportunities as well as the energy of the city of Richmond really sold us on the school so my D applied EA and chose it over higher ranked, well known research universities.
(Actually, we heard about it here on CC)
My daughter is the first from her school to attend.
@TwinMom2023 University of Richmond as advertised gives solid FA packages. Our D18 was accepted there EA. The UR FA package met 100% EFC for us plus Fed Loans and Work Study for the student (so an additional $6800). However they said that if our D18 could secure outside scholarships they would have erased the Student portion of the package (sadly she only has won one for $1K/4 years) We were told that EFC portion would always remain has an expected cost unless you receive enough outside scholarship to cover the University Grant as well (ie full tuition/ room & board/etc)
Honestly Richmond was her first choice. We all fell in love with it… fantastic programs, research opportunities as a 1st year, no TA taught classes, just the right size both campus and student body, Greek life that doesn’t over power. And we really liked the dual college system (because it use to be a womens college and a separate mens college basically just sharing faculty, there are two seats at the leadership table for the major campus organizations - one lady/one gent!). I truly have nothing bad to say about UR - not one thing, Go Spiders! And it will probably always be our ‘what if’ school for her. However D18 also got accepted RD to another college with a little better FA pkg (no student loans built in) and the programs and campus and academic opportunities were equally impressive so that’s where she will be this August.
But you’d have to know if the average overall schools also increase by 50 points during the time period.
As mentioned above, when one school like UM-CP become more selective, those kids have to go somewhere, so another school might become popular (USCar)
university of texas at san antonio theyre on their way to becoming a tier 1 research university
@postmodern Average SAT dropped significantly. Ranking went down significantly.(who thinks they dont matter??-obviously many do and studies confirm it) Dropped out of AAU. Many faculty thought priorities were wrong. Did you read the whole article??
@barrons this is a thread about underrated colleges on the way up. I’m not sure why you posted about Syracuse.
Reply to post #255.
Twoinanddone, overall the SAT midpoint decreased by 23 points from 2003 to 2016 in the data presented in post #242.
Schools that showed an SAT increase of at least 50 points were actually bucking the trend. They were becoming more selective while SATs in general were in slight decline. Therefore, I think it is appropriate to say they were “on the rise”.