For the fourth year in a row, Wagner College appears on the Forbes 2016 America’s Top Colleges list, produced in partnership with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity. This is the ninth year Forbes and CCAP have produced the list, which was released July 7.
“What sets our calculation of the best 660 U.S. colleges and universities apart is our firm belief in ROI,” or Return on Investment, explains Forbes Top Colleges editor Caroline Howard. “We look at factors that directly concern students (and their families): Are current undergrads satisfied? Is it likely I’ll graduate on time or incur a ton of student debt? Will I get a good job and be a leader in my chosen profession?”
Wagner College ranked squarely in the top half of the Forbes 2016 Top Colleges — number 311 out of 660. Among the 63 colleges and universities in New York state that made it onto the Forbes list, Wagner ranked 36th — ahead of Adelphi, RIT, Hofstra, Lehman College, St. John's University, the College of Staten Island and John Jay College.
Methodology
Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges rankings use a methodology (described in detail here) based on the following factors:
Student satisfaction (25%)
- Student evaluations from RateMyProfessor (10%)
- Retention: Actual (12.5%)
- Retention: Predicted (2.5%)
Post-graduate success (32.5%)
- Alumni salary per Payscale.com (10%)
- CCAP America's Leaders List (22.5)
Student debt (25%)
- Average federal student loan debt load (10%)
- Student loan default rates (12.5%)
- Predicted vs. actual percent of students taking federal loans (2.5%)
4-year graduation rate (7.5%)
- Actual rate (5%)
- Actual vs. predicted rate (2.5%)
Academic success (10%)
- Students with Rhodes, NSF, Fulbrights, etc. (7.5%)
- Go on to earn Ph.D. (2.5%)