WSJ College Student Survey Rankings 2019

College Search & Selection
1

WSJ College Student Survey Rankings
 
As part of the WSJ/THE rankings, the WSJ surveyed college students asking 3 main questions:

  1. If you could start over, would you still choose this college?
  2. Does your college provide an environment where you feel you are surrounded by exceptional students who inspire and motivate you?
  3. Do you think your college will be worth what you and your family are paying?

The WSJ site provides no method of comparing them so I compiled the results. I used the top 250 WSJ schools plus all well known large public schools between 250 and 500.

The following is the top 100 “satisfaction ranking” according to the WSJ survey results.


 

<h1>SurveyRank, WSJ Rank, Univerisity (* Public)</h1>

1    2       Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2    135 Brigham Young University-Provo
3    1       Harvard University
3    6       Stanford University
5    14     Rice University
6    24     Pomona College
7    60     *Georgia Institute of Technology
8    3       Yale University
8    44     Bowdoin College
10   168 *Virginia Military Institute
11   58    *United States Military Academy
12   9      Princeton University
13   196 Fairfield University
14   328 *James Madison University
15   75    Washington and Lee University
16   25    *University of California Los Angeles
16   26    University of Notre Dame
16   30    Georgetown University
16   94    *Texas A&M University-College Station
16   98    Worcester Polytechnic Institute
16   203 Samford University
16   231 Berea College
23   5      California Institute of Technology
23   129 ArtCenter College of Design
25   7      Duke University
26   7      Brown University
27   199 Wofford College
28   53    Colgate University
29   12    Dartmouth College
29   106 *Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
29   103 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
29   240 Austin College
33   19    Vanderbilt University
33   178 *Colorado School of Mines
33   239 Westmont College
33   154 *University of Tulsa
37   91    College of the Holy Cross
37   120 Creighton University
37   297 *Auburn University
40   73    *University of Florida
41   104 Babson College
41   83    Denison University
41   217 *Clemson University
44   28    *University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
44   17    *University of Southern California
44   51    *University of Virginia
44   196 College of Saint Benedict
48   14    University of Chicago
48   37    *University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
48   87    *William & Mary
48   53    University of Richmond
48   212 *California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
48   240 University of Saint Joseph
48   316 *University of Wyoming
55   125 Bentley University
55   135 *North Carolina State University at Raleigh
57   39    Haverford College
58   16    Carnegie Mellon University
58   59    Barnard College
58   67    Hamilton College
58   183 Bryant University
58   240 *University of Georgia
58   266 *Florida State University
64   110 Kenyon College
64   250 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott
66   46    Wesleyan University
67   174 Butler University
67   237 *Missouri University of Science and Technology
69   65    Mount Holyoke College
69   171 Baylor University
71   33    *University of California Berkeley
71   48    *University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
71   62    *University of Texas at Austin
71   77    Bates College
71   87    Rhode Island School of Design
71   209 Molloy College
77   11    Cornell University
77   94    *Ohio State University
77   205 Texas Christian University
80   62    Wake Forest University
80   124 Villanova University
80   109 Spelman College
80   436 *Kansas State University
84   158 *Michigan Technological University
85   18    Washington University in St Louis
85   66    *University of Wisconsin-Madison
85   29    Wellesley College
85   145 *Indiana University Bloomington
85   126 *Ohio Northern University
85   208 Wheaton College (Illinois)
85   427 *University of Alabama
85   418 *University of Alabama in Huntsville
93   69    Northeastern University
93   326 *University of Maryland Baltimore County
95   10    University of Pennsylvania
95   155 *University of Iowa
95   156 St Olaf College
95   217 Gonzaga University
95   126 Loyola Marymount University
100  156 University of Puget Sound

2

Combining the WSJ Satisfaction Ranking with the WSJ Outcomes Ranking


 

<h1>Outcomes&SatisfactionRank, WSJ Rank, Univerisity (* Public)</h1>

1   1        Harvard University
2   2        Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3   3        Yale University
4   6        Stanford University
5   9        Princeton University
6   60      *Georgia Institute of Technology
7   7        Duke University
8   14      Rice University
9   5        California Institute of Technology
10  12     Dartmouth College
11  25     *University of California Los Angeles
12  26     University of Notre Dame
13  7       Brown University
14  24     Pomona College
15  135  Brigham Young University-Provo
16  30     Georgetown University
17  44     Bowdoin College
18  19     Vanderbilt University
19  14     University of Chicago
20  28     *University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
21  17     University of Southern California
21  51     *University of Virginia
23  16     Carnegie Mellon University
24  37     *University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
25  73     *University of Florida
26  94     *Texas A&M University-College Station
27  106  *Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
28  58     *United States Military Academy
28  75     Washington and Lee University
28  11     Cornell University
31  53     Colgate University
31  33     *University of California Berkeley
33  103  Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
33  48     *University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
35  98     Worcester Polytechnic Institute
35  87     *William & Mary
35  18     Washington University in St Louis
35  10     University of Pennsylvania
39  39     Haverford College
40  168  *Virginia Military Institute
41  62     *University of Texas at Austin
42  66     *University of Wisconsin-Madison
42  13     Northwestern University
44  104  Babson College
45  91     College of the Holy Cross
46  53     University of Richmond
47  196  Fairfield University
47  29     Wellesley College
49  59     Barnard College
49  23     Williams College
51  46     Wesleyan University
52  212  California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
53  67     Hamilton College
54  4       Columbia University
55  94     *Ohio State University
56  22     Amherst College
57  125  Bentley University
57  62     Wake Forest University
59  178  *Colorado School of Mines
60  21     Johns Hopkins University
61  77     Bates College
62  41     Smith College
63  69     Northeastern University
64  183  Bryant University
64  37     Middlebury College
66  87     Rhode Island School of Design
67  83     Denison University
67  57     Davidson College
69  65     Mount Holyoke College
69  124  Villanova University
69  64     Bucknell University
72  20     Emory University
73  109  Spelman College
74  328  *James Madison University
74  196  College of Saint Benedict
74  48     Lehigh University
77  135  *North Carolina State University at Raleigh
78  217  *Clemson University
78  31     Swarthmore College
80  145  *Indiana University Bloomington
81  35     Carleton College
82  89     *Michigan State University
83  114  *University of Minnesota Twin Cities
84  240  *University of Georgia
85  199  Wofford College
86  33     Claremont McKenna College
87  110  Kenyon College
87  43     *Purdue University West Lafayette
89  120  Creighton University
90  158  *Michigan Technological University
91  104  *Pennsylvania State University
92  126  *Ohio Northern University
93  129  ArtCenter College of Design
94  70     Lafayette College
95  202  Saint John's University
96  155  *University of Iowa
96  83     *University of California Santa Barbara
98  41     *University of California Davis
99  81     *University of Maryland College Park
100 27   *New York University

3 

  

<h1>Top 25 Most "Worth It" Schools (* Public)</h1>

1  Brigham Young University-Provo
2  *United States Military Academy
3  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3  Princeton University
3  Pomona College
6  Rice University
6  Washington and Lee University
8  *Georgia Institute of Technology
8  *Virginia Military Institute
8  *Colorado School of Mines
11 Harvard University
11 Colgate University
11 *University of Wyoming
14 Yale University
14 Bowdoin College
14 Fairfield University
14 *Missouri University of Science and Technology
14 Austin College
14 Berea College
20 Stanford University
20 *University of Florida
22 *University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
22 *Texas A&M University-College Station
22 *California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
22 *James Madison University
22 *University of Georgia

4

According to https://www.timeshighereducation.com/wall-street-journal-times-higher-education-college-rankings-2019-methodology?mod=article_inline

Only three questions and their results are shown on WSJ website, probably due to lack of space.

Where did you get the “satisfaction” ranking and “SurveyRank”? I can only find “engagement rankings” which incorporate the answers from all 12 core questions.

5

“engagement rankings” includes other metrics apart from the survey. Such as # of accredited programs…

Princeton was ranked 500+ for engagement.
Caltech was ranked 600+ for engagement…

Engagement is garbage. They obviously thought those questions were the most important.

6

Again. Where did you get the “satisfaction” ranking and “SurveyRank”?

Please read https://www.timeshighereducation.com/wall-street-journal-times-higher-education-college-rankings-2019-methodology?mod=article_inline again.

The the number of different subjects taught is only 3% out of 20% weight in “Engagement”. Survey results dominate.

7

^ the survey questions speak for themselves.

8

@Greymeer : You still have not provided the methodology for your rankings. I am not sure what you are doing. You have also invented your own rankings on top of USNWR rankings. You can’t add your methodology on top of another methodology.

Princeton is a pressure cooker and Caltech is even worse. I am not surprised at all.

9

@nrtlax33 : I agree.

I find post #2 above interesting “25 Most Worth It Schools” simply for its inclusion of The University of Wyoming at #11 even though it has a first year retention rate of only 75% & a sorry 6 year graduation rate of just 55%.

10

Highest Satisfaction to WsjRanking
 
“Satisfaction Efficiency”

A value of “1” would be a university hitting its mark (wsjRank)




<h1>Rank, WsjRank, University, Satisfaction Eff Factor (WsjRank/SatisfactionRank)</h1>

1   135 Brigham Young University-Provo         67.5
2   328 *James Madison University              23.42857143
3   168 *Virginia Military Institute           16.8
4   196 Fairfield University                   15.07692308
5   231 Berea College                          14.4375
6   203 Samford University                     12.6875
7   60 *Georgia Institute of Technology        8.571428571
8   240 Austin College                         8.275862069
9   297 *Auburn University                     8.027027027
10   199 Wofford College                       7.37037037
11   239 Westmont College                      7.242424242
12   316 *University of Wyoming                6.583333333
13   98 Worcester Polytechnic Institute        6.125
14   94 *Texas A&M University-College Station  5.875
15   129 ArtCenter College of Design           5.608695652
16   44 Bowdoin College                        5.5
17   436 *Kansas State University              5.45
18   178 *Colorado School of Mines             5.393939394
19   217 *Clemson University                   5.292682927
20   58 *United States Military Academy        5.272727273
21   427 *University of Alabama                5.023529412
22   75 Washington and Lee University          5
22   240 University of Saint Joseph            5
24   418 *University of Alabama in Huntsville  4.917647059
25   154 *University of Tulsa                  4.666666667
26   266 *Florida State University             4.586206897
27   196 College of Saint Benedict             4.454545455
28   500 *East Carolina University             4.424778761
29   212 *California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo 4.416666667
30   443 *University of Central Florida        4.386138614
31   240 *University of Georgia                4.137931034
32   489 *Texas Tech University                4.109243697
33   24 Pomona College                         4
34   250 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott 3.90625
35   106 *Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 3.655172414
36   434 *California State Polytechnic University Pomona 3.647058824
37   367 *Oklahoma State University            3.633663366
38   103 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology   3.551724138
39   237 *Missouri University of Science and Technology 3.537313433
40   461 *University of South Florida          3.519083969
41   326 *University of Maryland Baltimore County 3.505376344
42   120 Creighton University                     3.243243243
43   183 Bryant University                        3.155172414
44   454 *University of Arkansas                  3.109589041
45   209 Molloy College                           2.943661972
46   461 *University of Louisville                2.917721519
47   431 *California State University Long Beach  2.835526316
48   14 Rice University                           2.8
49   274 *University of Alabama at Birmingham     2.712871287
50   205 Texas Christian University               2.662337662
51   174 Butler University                        2.597014925
52   104 Babson College                           2.536585366
53   427 *Colorado State University-Fort Collins  2.526627219
54   171 Baylor University                        2.47826087
55   492 *University of Toledo                    2.472361809
56   91 College of the Holy Cross                 2.459459459
57   135 *North Carolina State University at Raleigh 2.454545455
58   208 Wheaton College (Illinois)             2.447058824
59   217 Gonzaga University                     2.284210526
60   125 Bentley University                     2.272727273
61   390 *University of Mississippi             2.17877095
62   244 Augustana College (Illinois)           2.159292035
63   229 Hanover College                        2.100917431
64   372 *University of Kentucky                2.078212291
65   454 *University of Nebraska-Lincoln        2.035874439
66   83 Denison University                      2.024390244
67   2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology    2
67   6 Stanford University                      2
69   425 *University of Texas at Dallas         1.967592593
70   245 Hope College                           1.9140625
71   53 Colgate University                      1.892857143
72   158 *Michigan Technological University     1.880952381
73   30 Georgetown University                   1.875
74   202 Saint John's University                1.853211009
75   396 *University of Houston                 1.833333333
76   73 *University of Florida                  1.825
77   87 *William & Mary                         1.8125
78   183 Cornell College                        1.811881188
79   352 *Louisiana State University            1.768844221
80   498 Saint Xavier University                1.741258741
80   498 Elmira College                         1.741258741
82   492 Northwestern College                   1.72027972
82   492 Norwich University                     1.72027972
82   492 Capital University                     1.72027972
82   492 St Bonaventure University              1.72027972
82   492 Chestnut Hill College                  1.72027972
87   110 Kenyon College                         1.71875
88   490 Stevenson University                   1.713286713
88   490 Otterbein University                   1.713286713
90   145 *Indiana University Bloomington        1.705882353
91   305 *University of South Carolina-Columbia 1.703910615
92   484 Towson University                      1.692307692
92   484 Wentworth Institute of Technology      1.692307692
92   484 SUNY Cortland                          1.692307692
92   484 Iona College                           1.692307692
92   484 Alverno College                        1.692307692
97   480 Western Washington University          1.678321678
97   480 Regis College                          1.678321678
97   480 Augsburg College                       1.678321678
97   480 Western Illinois University            1.678321678
11

Lowest Satisfaction to WsjRanking

“Satisfaction Efficiency”

A value of “1” would be a university hitting its mark (wsjRank)




<h1>Rank, WsjRank, University, Satisfaction Eff Factor (WsjRank/SatisfactionRank)</h1>

500  4 Columbia University                      0.029411765   
499  10 University of Pennsylvania              0.105263158
498  13 Northwestern University                 0.128712871
497  20 Emory University                        0.136986301
496  32 Tufts University                        0.137339056
495  27 New York University                     0.140625
494  11 Cornell University                      0.142857143
493  21 Johns Hopkins University                0.154411765
492  22 Amherst College                         0.161764706
491  39 Case Western Reserve University         0.166666667
490  45 *University of California San Diego     0.175097276
489  36 Boston University                       0.186528497
488  23 Williams College                        0.203539823
487  18 Washington University in St Louis       0.211764706
486  41 *University of California Davis         0.212435233
485  5 California Institute of Technology       0.217391304
484  55 George Washington University            0.220883534
483  33 Claremont McKenna College               0.226027397
482  31 Swarthmore College                      0.2421875
481  60 *University of Washington-Seattle       0.256410256
480  35 Carleton College                        0.259259259
479  47 University of Miami                     0.262569832
478  43 *Purdue University West Lafayette       0.263803681
477  7 Brown University                         0.269230769
476  67 Boston College                          0.273469388
475  16 Carnegie Mellon University              0.275862069
474  7 Duke University                          0.28
473  14 University of Chicago                   0.291666667
472  37 Middlebury College                      0.31092437
471  56 Tulane University                       0.312849162
470  51 University of Rochester                 0.32278481
469  1 Harvard University                       0.333333333
468  29 Wellesley College                       0.341176471
467  50 Bryn Mawr College                       0.342465753
466  93 Union College                           0.356321839
465  83 Scripps College                         0.367256637
464  80 *University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus 0.37037037
463  83 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute        0.372197309
462  3 Yale University                          0.375
461  78 Brandeis University                     0.378640777
460  17 University of Southern California       0.386363636
459  111 Trinity College                        0.39084507
458  112 Pitzer College                         0.398576512
457  41 Smith College                           0.405940594
456  12 Dartmouth College                       0.413793103
455  117 University of Denver                   0.419354839
454  81 *University of Maryland College Park    0.419689119
453  94 Occidental College                      0.421524664
452  112 Syracuse University                    0.425855513
451  114 DePauw University                      0.433460076
450  118 Howard University                      0.433823529
449  48 Lehigh University                       0.440366972
448  70 Lafayette College                       0.460526316
447  33 *University of California Berkeley      0.464788732
446  71 Colby College                           0.467105263
445  79 Oberlin College                         0.470238095
444  116 Dickinson College                      0.473469388
443  100 Southern Methodist University          0.473933649
442  135 Illinois Institute of Technology       0.482142857
441  82 Franklin & Marshall College             0.485207101
440  74 Drexel University                       0.486842105
439  83 *University of California Santa Barbara 0.49112426
438  120 University of the Pacific              0.495867769
437  57 Davidson College                        0.504424779
436  92 Connecticut College                     0.51396648
435  142 Willamette University                  0.518248175
434  119 Santa Clara University                 0.526548673
433  72 Vassar College                          0.529411765
432  132 University of Illinois at Chicago      0.530120482
431  97 *University of Connecticut              0.541899441
430  141 Catholic University of America         0.552941176
429  100 Trinity University                     0.558659218
428  159 Simmons College                        0.561837456
427  19 Vanderbilt University                   0.575757576
426  148 Seattle University                     0.580392157
425  89 Macalester College                      0.585526316
424  100 Gettysburg College                     0.591715976
423  148 Yeshiva University                     0.59437751
422  135 Colorado College                       0.597345133
421  76 Grinnell College                        0.608
420  159 *University of San Diego               0.609195402
419  145 Stevens Institute of Technology        0.61965812
418  151 Linfield College - McMinnville campus  0.623966942
417  153 American University                    0.624489796
416  174 Loyola University Chicago              0.632727273
415  64 Bucknell University                     0.633663366
414  28 *University of Michigan-Ann Arbor       0.636363636
413  132 Hobart and William Smith Colleges      0.637681159
412  130 Whitman College                        0.653266332
411  162 *Rutgers University-New Brunswick      0.67219917
410  48 *University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 0.676056338
409  135 Stony Brook University                 0.67839196
408  189 Lawrence University                    0.682310469
407  39 Haverford College                       0.684210526
406  189 Susquehanna University                 0.687272727
405  183 University of San Francisco            0.687969925
404  178 Loyola University Maryland             0.692607004
403  46 Wesleyan University                     0.696969697
402  135 Illinois Wesleyan University           0.699481865
401  120 *University at Buffalo                 0.710059172
400  195 Muhlenberg College                     0.724907063
12

Columbia, Penn, Northwestern, Emory, Tufts, NYU, Cornell, Johns Hopkins & Amherst College are at the bottom ???

Does this mean that demanding, ultra selective universities don’t have enough beer parties ?

If I understand correctly, and I hope that I do not, this WSJ ranking is a joke.

Why not present this is a more coherent, meaningful form ? As presented, it appears to be worthless.

13

Greymeer just made the whole thing up. WSJ/THE only gives out ranks for “Engagement”. You can see the values of the survey for only a few questions (out of 12). They probably want you to buy their magazine/book/etc. to get the rest of it.

14

Selection bias? The schools registering lowest on the “happiness” scale attract people willing to undergo withering odds to get where they’re going. A certain tolerance for stress comes natural to them.

15

Too many are infatuated with all of these ratings and rankings. We all know what the elite schools are and that people play games to sell magazines or promote online services with them.

16

@nrtlax33 “Greymeer just made the whole thing up. WSJ/THE …”

Good grief. You are shooting the messenger.

I actually went through the trouble of copying the respondents scores to the 3 questions.

The data is freely available. Check it. Prove it wrong.

The data is what it is.

@Publisher "If I understand correctly, and I hope that I do not, this WSJ ranking is a joke.

Why not present this is a more coherent, meaningful form ? As presented, it appears to be worthless."

It can’t be clearer. It’s a list of the highest rated schools by their student surveys.

17

@circuitrider “Selection bias? The schools registering lowest on the “happiness” scale”

1 2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2 135 Brigham Young University-Provo
3 1 Harvard University
3 6 Stanford University
5 14 Rice University
6 24 Pomona College
7 60 *Georgia Institute of Technology
8 3 Yale University
8 44 Bowdoin College
10 168 *Virginia Military Institute
11 58 *United States Military Academy
12 9 Princeton University

These aren’t bad schools

18

No, they’re not. Sounds like their students may be incorporating the mere fact of being at those universities as part of their “happiness”. Anecdotally, I’ve known many Harvard students who literally take years before they settle down enough to even take the academic side of Harvard seriously.

19

For those of you who have no access to WSJ behind pay wall, WSJ/THE only ranks the “engagement” metric, which is based on the results of 12 survey questions plus 3% course selection. Only the results of 3 survey questions are shown on its website. Mathematically, it is meaningless to do calculations which are based on the relative values of survey results. If you want to know the survey results, to to WSJ.

Satisfaction is not part of the survey and there is no survey rank either. The raw data is WSJ/THE’s intellectual property.