WSJ & Forbes Rankings

Some funny comments on the Wall Street Journal’s website about how the “liberal” WSJ hates Hillsdale College.

What about their LAC rankings? Can someone list top ten? For the life of me, I can’t figure out how to get past the paywall.

C’mon people. They post these “rankings” to sell magazines.

More interesting than the ratings are the homers on CC who trash elite schools like Brown as "not as goods as . . . "

All ratings are valid according to the criteria being used. The only possible way that the ratings are unfair is if you believe the data being used is erroneous.

I see US News previewed their top 25 list and every school mentioned above is on it. There are about ZERO changes, but some will move up or down this list and the complaints will roll in. That comes out on September 10.

Alphabetically.

Brown University (RI)
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Columbia University (NY)
Cornell University (NY)
Dartmouth College (NH)
Duke University (NC)
Emory University (GA)
Georgetown University (DC)
Harvard University (MA)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University (IL)
Princeton University (NJ)
Rice University (TX)
Stanford University (CA)
University of California—Berkeley
University of California—Los Angeles
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame (IN)
University of Pennsylvania
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University (TN)
Washington University in St. Louis
Yale University (CT)

The WSJ’s 2018 ranking of its Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges is as follows:
1. Amherst College
2. Williams College
3. Pomona College
4. Wellesley College
5. Swarthmore College
6. Claremont McKenna College
7. Carleton College
8. Middlebury College
9. Haverford College
10. Smith College

^So Bowdoin fans please feel free to cut and paste the Northwestern commentators posts above:)

@CU123: Re:Post #18. Ranking schools based on ROI should have the military academies listed at the top.

Publisher how are you quantifying the lost opportunity cost of the post graduation 5 year commitment to the academies? Obviously hard to compete with “free” when looking at ROI but the post graduation commitments are for me incalculable.

I think dropping out (graduation rate/retention) in 4 years is an outcome everyone cares about, total debt upon graduation is another. Earning after graduation is one not everyone agrees upon, etc… WSJ as far as I can tell doesn’t weigh rejection rate as much as USNWR which is a good thing IMHO. Both use resources per student which could have good things (how nice are the classrooms and lab opportunities, etc.) but could also have irrelevant things (salary of faculty, fondue fountains in the dining hall etc…).

I think if you went to an academy and were able to get sponsored medical school that would probably be best ROI of all, even in state public engineering school - even considering 5 year committment. Also, apparently people fly planes cause they love it, but if you absolutely want to be an airline pilot military academy would be a good route.

@Nocreativity1: Re: Post #27 : Cadets & Midshipmen are paid during their undergraduate years in addition to getting an outstanding education without paying tuition, room, board or books. Upon graduation they receive a salary & housing & other benefits.

Additionally, if at about age 27 (after completion of the 5 year service commitment), one can remain in the service & or leave. Many Fortune 500 companies love to hire graduates of the Service Academies.

Also, the merchant marine academy grads make serious money.

The WSJ/THE list sorted by “outcomes”… I guess their version of ROI.

3 Yale University 1
1 Harvard University 1
7 Duke University 1
9 Princeton University 4
4 Columbia University 5
2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 5
12 Dartmouth College 7
5 California Institute of Technology 7
6 Stanford University 9
10 University of Pennsylvania 10
11 Cornell University 11
14 University of Chicago 12
22 Amherst College 13
16 Carnegie Mellon University 13
7 Brown University 15
23 Williams College 16
13 Northwestern University 17
60 Georgia Institute of Technology 18
21 Johns Hopkins University 19
28 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 20

The Forbes Top Colleges list in previous years provided each college they ranked with a financial grade on their assessed financial health of the institution, presumably based on size of endowments, alumni giving, debt, etc. We found this was useful and we saw a strong correlation between colleges with good financial grades and well maintained campus facilities and generous need-based financial aid.

Unfortunately, they didn’t provide financial grades for this year’s list. It is a subjective assessment probably based on publicly available financial disclosures and I’m sure they received complaints from some colleges, but it was a differentiator that we didn’t see on other college ranking lists when our D was doing her college search.

The problem with these ROI or outcomes results are the reliance on monetary earnings outcomes. The measure of success for some students may be less quantifiable such as flexibility, service to society, further education or happiness.

If the students at a particular school aren’t consumed with wealth as a a measure of success then these surveys will suggest poor “results”, when in reality the school may be providing exactly the outcomes their students seek.

3 measures of efficiency… using the WSJ data and excel

outcomes/rank
1 7           Duke University
2 60        Georgia Institute of Technology
3 3          Yale University
4 135      Brigham Young University-Provo
5 212      California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
6 9          Princeton University
7 81        University of Maryland College Park
8 51        University of Virginia
9 328      James Madison University
10 66      University of Wisconsin-Madison
11 73      University of Florida
12 240   University of Georgia
13 282   MCPHS University
14 106   Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
15 174   SUNY Binghamton University
16 202   Saint John’s University
17 183   Bryant University
18 390   Salve Regina University
19 67      Boston College
20 12      Dartmouth College
21 196   Fairfield University
22 447   California State University Chico
23 22      Amherst College
24 168   Virginia Military Institute
25 475   Bridgewater College

resources/rank
1 48        University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2 60        Georgia Institute of Technology
3 81        University of Maryland College Park
4 33        University of California Berkeley
5 25        University of California Los Angeles
6 73        University of Florida
7 83        University of California Santa Barbara
8 3          Yale University
9 41        University of California Davis
10 45      University of California San Diego
11 62      University of Texas at Austin
12 66      University of Wisconsin-Madison
13 51      University of Virginia
14 94      Texas A&M University-College Station
15 135   Brigham Young University-Provo
16 89      Michigan State University
17 28      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
18 106   Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
19 60      University of Washington-Seattle
20 174   SUNY Binghamton University
21 212   California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
22 94      Ohio State University
23 37      University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
24 6        Stanford University
25 99      University of California Irvine

resources/outcomes
1 60        Georgia Institute of Technology
2 7          Duke University
3 3          Yale University
4 81        University of Maryland College Park
5 135      Brigham Young University-Provo
6 48        University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
7 73        University of Florida
8 51        University of Virginia
9 66        University of Wisconsin-Madison
10 212   California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
11 83      University of California Santa Barbara
12 33      University of California Berkeley
13 106   Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
14 45      University of California San Diego
15 62      University of Texas at Austin
16 94      Texas A&M University-College Station
17 25      University of California Los Angeles
18 174   SUNY Binghamton University
19 41      University of California Davis
20 89      Michigan State University
21 28      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
22 240   University of Georgia
23 94      Ohio State University
24 67      Boston College
25 114   University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Using the WSJ data and their top 500 colleges

The eff value of “3” would be a university hitting its mark (rank, outcomes, resources)

totalEff=outcomesRank/wsjRank+resourcesRank/outcomesRank+resourcesRank/wsjRank
 
100 Most Efficient/Best Performing Universities

WSJ Rank, University, Total Eff

------- 0 -----------------
60           Georgia Institute of Technology                                            29.47777778
7              Duke University                                         24.14285714
81           University of Maryland College Park                     20.62654321
3              Yale University                                         20.33333333
48           University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign              17.79435484
135         Brigham Young University-Provo                          16.69194847
73           University of Florida                                   15.76604182
51           University of Virginia                                  13.88970588
66           University of Wisconsin-Madison                         13.54545455
83           University of California Santa Barbara                  13.02560241
------- 10 -----------------
212         California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo 12.63008638
33           University of California Berkeley                       12.61818182
45           University of California San Diego                      11.35208333
25           University of California Los Angeles                    11.30545455
62           University of Texas at Austin                           11.11899642
106         Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University     10.95055303
94           Texas A&M University-College Station                    10.66497805
41           University of California Davis                          10.22787456
174         SUNY Binghamton University                              9.910560345
89           Michigan State University                               9.672345053
-------- 20 ----------------
28           University of Michigan-Ann Arbor                        9.2
94           Ohio State University                                   7.9718398
114         University of Minnesota Twin Cities                     7.788124157
240         University of Georgia                                   7.7875
67           Boston College                                          7.681209338
324         San Diego State University                              7.648859305
328         James Madison University                                7.638567073
145         Indiana University Bloomington                          7.595179829
37           University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill             7.365330848
60           University of Washington-Seattle                        7.338888889
-------- 30 ----------------
112         Syracuse University                                     7.285821859
266         Florida State University                                7.102973915
183         Bryant University                                       7.087325588
287         CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College                          6.973197534
282         MCPHS University                                        6.894242804
231         George Mason University                                 6.71541502
217         Clemson University                                      6.6193074
164         University of Massachusetts Amherst                     6.616982836
148         Marquette University                                    6.57347973
447         California State University Chico                       6.531154039
-------- 40 ----------------
87           William & Mary                                          6.375680581
434         California State Polytechnic University Pomona          6.26625704
80           University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus              6.204166667
276         Iowa State University                                   6.084448161
196         Fairfield University                                    6.064418811
145         University of Delaware                                  6.024037496
104         Babson College                                          6.022435897
484         Towson University                                       6.020239501
443         University of Central Florida                           5.977010014
431         California State University Long Beach                  5.852901739

--------- 50 ---------------
43           Purdue University West Lafayette                        5.788183532
216         Quinnipiac University                                   5.782135076
356         John Brown University                                   5.777945837
214         University of Portland                                  5.734469489
202         Saint John’s University                                 5.734425655
440         San Jose State University                               5.669113495
200         Providence College                                      5.645495868
297         Auburn University                                       5.63736373
99           University of California Irvine                         5.45303428
326         University of Maryland Baltimore County                 5.450562173
----------60 --------------
165         Pepperdine University                                   5.436838978
155         University of Iowa                                      5.40719603
422         The College of St Scholastica                           5.404715363
206         University of Oklahoma                                  5.404426349
22           Amherst College                                         5.363636364
250         Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott           5.35716129
406         Elmhurst College                                        5.309192905
390         Salve Regina University                                 5.298128898
257         The College of New Jersey                               5.29516398
469         Montclair State University                              5.260378778
---------- 70 --------------
178         Colorado School of Mines                                5.253517137
83           Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute                        5.204984321
418         Stockton University                                     5.197946645
217         University of Arizona                                   5.151139619
196         College of Saint Benedict                               5.128492936
162         Rutgers University-New Brunswick                        5.120031399
6              Stanford University                                     5.111111111
248         Siena College                                           5.073221534
299         John Carroll University                                 5.073049621
347         Merrimack College                                       5.067735659
-----------80 -------------
159         University of San Diego                                 5.065495554
352         Saint Francis University                                5.061693628
189         University of Utah                                      5.041097576
244         Augustana College (Illinois)                            5.038179465
1              Harvard University                                      5
209         Molloy College                                          4.976375598
69           Northeastern University                                 4.971879732
365         Milwaukee School of Engineering                         4.936388748
367         Oklahoma State University                               4.930119187
370         California Lutheran University                          4.927045413
----------- 90 -------------
276         Oregon State University                                 4.919887279
285         University of California Santa Cruz                     4.876942356
125         Bentley University                                      4.874916667
300         University of Redlands                                  4.874
135         Stony Brook University                                  4.870152505
186         Chapman University                                      4.86827957
447         University of New Hampshire                             4.861297539
4              Columbia University                                     4.85
251         Manhattan College                                       4.787848606
471         St Joseph’s College-New York                            4.756527973


 
*** I included these because I was looking for a school to hit perfect “3” ***

255 500 East Carolina University          3.00000039

256 10 University of Pennsylvania          3             

257 412 Springfield College          2.98538

100 Least Efficient

WSJ Rank, University, Total Eff

-------- 500 -----------
257         Earlham College                                         0.949937743               
293         Bard College                                        1.035075718
245         Sarah Lawrence College                              1.040957376
5              California Institute of Technology                  1.057142857
339         Hampshire College                                   1.066958216
141         Catholic University of America                      1.13236201
100         Trinity University                                  1.141025641
345         School of the Art Institute of Chicago              1.144348791
226         California Institute of the Arts                    1.173794394
464         Chatham University                                  1.184505709
-------- 490 -----------
300         Andrews University                                  1.198779811
266         Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences      1.206570205
56           Tulane University                                   1.23156682
380         University of Hawai’i at Manoa                      1.233645678
130         Whitman College                                     1.263061691
120         Skidmore College                                    1.283805031
274         University of Hartford                              1.297731797
268         Drew University                                     1.301372882
19           Vanderbilt University                               1.306636156
398         Pacific University                                  1.322109717
-------- 480 -----------
210         Florida Institute of Technology                     1.338967136
135         Colorado College                                    1.340740741
126         Reed College                                        1.341507937
14           Rice University                                     1.375
231         Berea College                                       1.375622852
148         Yeshiva University                                  1.386621622
193         University of Detroit Mercy                         1.419785666
289         Oklahoma City University                            1.42433218
376         Hiram College                                       1.434869622
390         Berry College                                       1.448779364
-------- 470 -----------
287         Whittier College                                    1.478875425
154         University of Tulsa                                 1.479123028
210         Ohio Wesleyan University                            1.479890993
303         Marietta College                                    1.492724994
251         Rollins College                                     1.499937599
440         Shenandoah University                               1.519437301
51           University of Rochester                             1.519924099
337         St Mary’s University                                1.528663898
461         University of Louisville                            1.53367309
427         Queens University of Charlotte                      1.563720887
-------- 460 -----------
293         CUNY City College of New York                       1.563855225
380         Hartwick College                                    1.593482123
311         Hendrix College                                     1.597743469
383         Emory & Henry College                               1.598333359
32           Tufts University                                    1.604166667
72           Vassar College                                      1.611111111
367         California College of the Arts                      1.611270045
189         Lawrence University                                 1.627069466
306         Illinois College                                    1.633618706
339         Wayne State University                              1.634448976

-------- 450 -----------
106         Saint Louis University                              1.635795148
438         Loyola University New Orleans                       1.644489018
303         Rutgers University-Camden                           1.658706649
50           Bryn Mawr College                                   1.677011494
166         Sewanee-The University of the South                 1.679362612
383         College of Idaho                                    1.685865866
315         Ringling College of Art and Design                  1.686710798
271         Dominican University of California                  1.690065956
390         Nazareth College                                    1.690465223
217         Pratt Institute                                     1.705221809
-------- 440 -----------
217         Otis College of Art and Design                      1.705667942
13           Northwestern University                             1.714932127
58           United States Military Academy                      1.720555307
389         Southern Illinois University Carbondale             1.722839826
7              Brown University                                    1.723809524
79           Oberlin College                                     1.744980358
118         Howard University                                   1.753939187
337         Goucher College                                     1.755831592
76           Grinnell College                                    1.757309942
372         William Jewell College                              1.768201412
-------- 430 -----------
473         University of Missouri-Kansas City                  1.769316819
278         Clark University                                    1.776079137
231         Beloit College                                      1.787589268
231         Rutgers University-Newark                           1.803751804
343         Stetson University                                  1.82408943
396         New York Institute of Technology                    1.856997597
110         Kenyon College                                      1.861229947
457         University of Lynchburg                             1.866171377
475         Roosevelt University                                1.868328225
112         Pitzer College                                      1.86990988
-------- 420 -----------
279         Westminster College (Utah)                          1.887139108
159         Simmons College                                     1.892741798
412         Massachusetts College of Art and Design             1.893459377
339         The New School                                      1.908165969
39           Haverford College                                   1.921025641
132         Hobart and William Smith Colleges                   1.922077922
78           Brandeis University                                 1.928894635
453         Tuskegee University                                 1.929848911
172         Knox College                                        1.934662237
120         Creighton University                                1.942857143
-------- 410 -----------
332         Doane College-Crete                                 1.943510476
352         Lincoln Memorial University                         1.946016166
106         Wheaton College (Massachusetts)                     1.958097002
126         Loyola Marymount University                         1.965100159
300         Union University                                    1.968487728
492         Chestnut Hill College                               1.98670238
356         Wartburg College                                    1.994268814
390         Arcadia University                                  2.000552741
53           University of Richmond                              2.010401548
46           Wesleyan University                                 2.026494565

Oops… I wrote that incorrectly…

totalEff=wsjRank/outcomesRank+resourcesRank/outcomesRank+resourcesRank/wsjRank