Scranton on Forbes ‘America’s Top Colleges’ List

For the 11^th consecutive year, Forbes has ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” for value. In the 2018 list of just 650 colleges, Forbes ranked Scranton No. 254 in the nation.

Just 40 colleges in Pennsylvania were ranked in the listing published online Aug. 21. Scranton and King’s College were the only two local colleges listed. Twenty-six of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. were ranked.

The ranking analyzed “outputs” of a college education, such as “alumni salaries and signs of individual success including academic and career accolades” to determine the best values in college education. Factors used in the ranking included retention and graduation rates, average federal student loan debt, student loan default rates and “post-graduate success” as measured by salaries reported in PayScale, the U.S. Department of Education’s “College Scorecard.” Forbes also considered rankings published by Niche.com to evaluate the “student experience,” the percentage of graduates earn doctoral degrees, and the number of prestigious fellowships won by students, including Fulbright and Goldwater scholarships, among other factors.

Scranton also ranked No. 174 among private colleges and No. 104 among colleges in the northeast in lists also published by Forbes.

Earlier in August, Money magazine ranked Scranton No. 191 among the “727 Best Colleges in America.” The Princeton Review also selected the University among “The Best 384 Colleges” in the country and ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 16) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 15).