Choosing a college is can be a stressful times in a person’s life. There are thousands of schools to choose from and many different factors to consider when deciding what school is right for you. One of the most highly regarded criterion is cost. Will the money spent be worth it for the student?
To help measure these decisions, every year CNN/Time comes out with the 711 Best Colleges For Your Money list. Once again this year, several SUNY schools were on the list.
Featured SUNY schools include:
33. Binghamton University
54. Stony Brook University
70. SUNY ESF
79. University at Albany
93. College at Brockport
98. University at Buffalo
111. SUNY Cortland
177. SUNY New Paltz
181. SUNY Geneseo
182. SUNY Oneoneta
How is this list compiled?
In order to even initially be considered, a college had to fit certain criteria. They had to have at least 500 students enrolled, have sufficient data to be analyzed, be in good financial standing, and have a graduation rate at or above the median for its category (public or private).
There were a total of 711 schools that met this criteria. Then the schools were ordered among their scores in 3 categories: quality of education, affordability, and outcomes.
Quality of education
There were 5 subsections to this category that was 1/3 of the overall rank. Six year graduation rate, value-added graduation rate, peer quality, instructor quality, and the new financial troubles factor. All of these factors ensure a well-rounded evaluation of the campus and its academic climate.
Affordability
The next 1/3 of the criteria include net price, debt, student loan repayment and default risk, value-added student loan repayment measures, and affordability for low-income students. These factors are essential to the financial side of college. One of the factors that makes this list unique is the student loan repayment and default factor because that is something incoming students don’t always think about. It’s critical for students to understand their ability to both borrow and pay back loans they take to get through college.
Outcomes
The final 1/3 includes post-graduation results. Earnings by major, 10-year earnings, job skills, etc. There are may factors that fall into this important category which is important since a major reason most people go to college is to be successful in whichever field they choose.
For a detailed, comprehensive description of the ranking process, follow this link.
The number of SUNY schools included in these rankings simply shows how dedicated SUNY is to completion and our desire to see our students thrive post-graduation. Begin your SUNY experience today.
