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How the TBJ public college rankings were calculated

Goal: The study’s objective was to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students. The highest marks went to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.

Colleges: The study covered all 484 public universities and colleges that met the following criteria:

4. military academies. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey. All rates and percentages were calculated by The Business Journals. News and World Report and Washington Monthly.

Categories: The Business Journals rated public universities and colleges in the following six categories. Each is followed by its percentage impact on the overall formula:

Factors: The following 19 factors determined the overall score for each public university or college. All were the latest available statistics, generally from 2013 unless noted otherwise. Each is followed by its category, share of the overall score and a definition:

1. Admission rate (selectivity, 5 percent): The percentage of first time undergraduate applicants who were admitted to the school. (Keep in mind that many students who were admitted to a given school chose to attend different institutions.)

2. Admission test score at the 25th percentile (selectivity, 5 percent): The score on college admission tests that outranked 25 percent of the scores for all first time enrolled undergraduates. The Business Journals converted ACT figures to the 1,600 point SAT scale, then averaged ACT and SAT results according to the percentage of students who submitted scores from each test. (A few schools do not require applicants to take admission tests. Their overall rankings were not penalized.)

3. Admission test score at the 75th percentile (selectivity, 5 percent): The score on college admission tests that outranked 75 percent of the scores for all first time enrolled undergraduates.

4. Retention rate (advancement, 10 percent): The percentage of first year undergraduates who began college in the fall of 2012 and returned to the same school in the fall of 2013.

5. Four year graduation rate (advancement, 10 percent): The percentage of undergraduates who began college in the fall of 2007 and graduated by 2011.

6. Six year graduation rate (advancement, 5 percent): The percentage of undergraduates who began college in the fall of 2007 and graduated by 2013.

7. News and World Report, and Washington Monthly (prestige, 15 percent): The school’s performances in the latest rankings by these four publications, converted to a 400 point scale. (The top rated public university or college on each national list generated by each publication was awarded 100 points, the next received 99, and so on. Some lists did not include 100 public schools. Scales were reduced for regional lists generated by each publication.)

8. Quality affordability ratio (costs, 10 percent): The published in state tuition, fees, room and board charges for 2013 14, divided by the sum of the school’s raw scores for selectivity, advancement and prestige. (The best scores in this «bang for the buck» indicator went to schools that had strong academic records and relatively low costs.)

9. Average net price for full time undergraduates receiving grants or scholarships (costs, 5 percent): The average annual cost of tuition, fees, books, supplies, room and board for a student receiving grant or scholarship aid, once the value of the grant or scholarship was subtracted.

10. Median monthly off campus rent (costs, 5 percent): The median rent for all rental properties within the metropolitan or micropolitan area in which the school is located. (If it is not in a metro or micro, the figure for its county was substituted.)

11. Share of undergraduates with out of state addresses (diversity, 5 percent): The percentage of full time undergraduates whose home addresses were in other states or countries.

12. Racial diversity of student body (diversity, 2.5 percent): The Gini Simpson index for the student body, a measure that indicates the likelihood that two randomly selected undergraduates would be of different races.

13. Racial diversity of faculty (diversity, 2.5 percent): The Gini Simpson index for the instructional staff, a measure that indicates the likelihood that two randomly selected instructors would be of different races.

14. 18 to 21 year olds (51.26 percent).

15. Gender diversity of faculty (diversity, 2.5 percent): The difference between the percentage of female instructional staffers and the female share of all 25 to 64 year olds (50.59 percent).

16. Share of young adults (community, 2.5 percent): The percentage of all residents who were between the ages of 25 and 34 within the metropolitan or micropolitan area in which the school is located. (If not in a metro or micro, the figure for its county was substituted. The same holds true for the remaining factors.)

17. Unemployment rate for young adults (community, 2.5 percent): The percentage of 25 to 34 year olds in the civilian labor force who were out of work.

18. Share of young adults with bachelor’s degrees (community, 2.5 percent): The percentage of 25 to 34 year olds who held four year degrees.

19. Share of local jobs that are classified as management, business, science or arts jobs (community, 2.5 percent): The percentage of the local workforce (workers of all ages) who held white collar MBSA jobs.

Formula: Each school’s statistics were compared to the averages for the corresponding factors within the entire study group. Better than average performances received positive scores; worse than average performances received negative scores. (The top scores went to the highest statistics for all factors except Nos. 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 17, where the lowest statistics were considered the best.) All factor scores were added according to the weights listed above, yielding a final score for each school. Final scores were converted to a 100 point scale, with the No. 1 school benchmarked precisely at 100 points.Articles Connexes：