The University of Scranton Ranks Among America’s Best Colleges for ‘Return on Investment’

Sep 7, 2016

For the ninth consecutive year, Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” based on analysis by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity intended to evaluate a school’s “return on investment” or “value.” The 2016 ranking, published by Forbes online this summer ranked Scranton No. 243 among the only 660 universities included in the national listing. Just 41 colleges in Pennsylvania were ranked. Scranton and King’s College were the only two local colleges listed.

Forbes does not categorize schools by size or institution type in its overall ranking, but does provide separate searchable lists of public and private colleges and geographic regions.

The methodology used for the ranking examined multiple factors, which included four-year graduation rates, average federal student loan debt, student loan default rates and “post-graduate success,” measured by salaries reported in PayScale, the U.S. Department of Education’s “College Scorecard” and alumni who were nationally recognized in lists such as Forbes’  “Power Women” or “30 under 30,” among other factors. Data examined also included “student satisfaction,” measured by Rate My Professors scores and actual and predicted retention rates; and “academic success,” measured by prestigious fellowships won by students, including Fulbright scholarships, among other factors.

Other rankings published this summer by The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton among “The Best 381 Colleges” in the nation, and ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 4), “Best Campus Food” (No. 11), “Best College Dorms” (No. 17) and “Students Most Engaged in Community Service” (No. 20). Washington Monthly ranked Scranton is No. 38 in the nation among master’s universities in a listing that seeks to evaluate colleges based on their contribution to the “public good” by attempting to measure the “social mobility, research and service” of their graduates.

Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” based on analysis done by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity that seeks to evaluate a school’s “return on investment” or “value.”



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