College Rankings by Cost

Are you beginning your college search and keep coming across college rankings by cost? Wondering how you can know a lower priced school is providing the same level of education as an expensive school? Are you trying to figure out how to know a school is giving you the biggest bang for your buck? If you're looking for the answer to any of these questions, keep reading to learn more about college rankings.

Students should also consider financial aid and scholarships when looking at college rankings.

There are many books out there that give you college rankings based on different criteria. US News and World Report provides a famous ranking of American colleges, and sites like The Princeton Review and The College Board also provide similar rankings online. But what are these rankings composed of?

First, the rankings are divided into categories. While there are also rankings for the nation overall, most rankings separate liberal arts colleges from schools that exclusively offer business and engineering programs. These rankings are sometimes even broken up into regional categories, such as North or South.

While different rankings have different criteria, the criteria that US News and World Report uses is fairly standard. They rank colleges based on seven factors:

• Reviews by administrators at peer schools
• Retention rates for students
• Resources available to faculty
• Financial resources
• Student selectivity
• Amount of alumni who donate to the school
• The "graduation rate performance" (how the amount of students who are expected to graduate differs from the amount of students who do)

Because each variable shows a different function of how well the school performs for its students, the above criteria should be important to incoming students. However, there are other factors that can help future college students sift through college rankings and make sure they are getting the best amount of education for their money.

At larger state schools, many of which end up at the top of college rankings, the ratio of students to teachers is very high. In fact, it is common for there to be up to 100 students for every teacher. Smaller student to teacher ratios indicate more personalized education time with teachers and greater potential for access to an educator. These interactions can really help a course jump off the page.

At some point, every college student leaves college to enter the real world. Because of this, it is important to look into job placement rates of graduates of that institution. If a particular school has a low job placement rate for new graduates, there may be a reason - and that reason may make it harder for you to find a job if you go there! High job placement rates indicate that students from that institution are in demand on the job market. It's also important to look into programs that a school may have for helping new graduates find jobs. These programs can make your life after college much easier.

Perhaps the biggest problems for many future college students are the availability of financial aid and figuring out how to pay for college. The percentage of students at a school receiving financial aid can give you a basic idea of how likely it is you'll be offered financial aid. It's also important to look at the breakdown of aid an institution has--from work study programs to low-interest loans and grants. Additionally, schools with large amounts of scholarship programs indicate a financial dedication to students that can help make your time there less expensive.

An institution is only as good as its educators and its programs. When looking at colleges, be sure to investigate the teachers in the fields you are interested in studying. Teachers with established research or writing backgrounds who have been published and are experts in their field are more likely to give a substantial education to students than those who have not. If a department's teaching staff seems weak (perhaps very few teachers have terminal degrees or are there are many new teachers), look to see if there are reasons for this. Additionally, look into the program and course requirements for majors and compare them to similar programs. If one school has more lax requirements for courses, they may offer a less strenuous education.

When looking at college rankings by cost, the question of community college will arise. Community colleges offer cheaper tuition but have the stigma of being of "lower" quality. In many situations, this is not the case. A community college can also be a cheap way to finish general requirements before moving on to a four-year school. For some fields, four-year degrees may not even be needed. In general, a community college may be a great choice for someone looking for an economical education. It can also give poorer students more time to prove themselves so that they may get into better schools or be offered larger scholarships.

Choosing a college is a personal matter for each individual student. For some students, large classes with tough requirements are the best learning environment. For others, one-on-one time and a large field of electives is the best fit. Students need to navigate through college rankings to find the best learning environment for their own needs--not just the most well-known school in their price range.

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