Rising Stars: 10 Top Colleges to Watch

By: Christopher Denhart

Ever wonder how to improve in the FORBES America’s Best Colleges list? The America’s Best Colleges list is output-oriented, not input, making it impossible to game. There are four schools in the top 200 that have been rising since we first started ranking schools in 2009. What is the secret to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, University of Vermont, Elon University, and St. Louis University’s success?

For University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, which ranked 543^rd in 2009 and now ranks 108th, it is the production of high-quality graduates who become leaders. Minnesota alumni include John Hammergren, CEO of McKesson Corporation, Mark Thierer, CEO of Catamaran, and Diana Murphy, the Circuit Judge of the US Court of Appeals’ Eighth Circuit. Minnesota also has a high retention rate, low debt burden, and high graduate salaries which sustain a strong environment for preparing students for their post-college lives.

University of Vermont continues to float toward the top for many reasons. Up 230 positions, from 370^th in 2009 to 140^th this year, UVM (which stands for universitas viridis montis, or University of the Green Mountains) posts a high graduation rate, and students borrow much less that we expect. In fact, UVM is in the top 6% of all our 650 in both of these categories in our component ranking. Additionally, student debt default rate and overall debt burden rank highly.  Like Minnesota, many University of Vermont graduates, like Diana Greene, a member of the Board of Directors of Google, or Liz Paley, Senior VP of Ralph Lauren, become leaders in American business. UVM exceed our expectations by keeping debt loads low while remaining dedicated to graduating students in four years.

In 2009, we ranked Elon University 390^th, and this year they've climbed to 182^nd thanks (again) to low debt. Elon ranks in the top 100 schools on federal student debt loads and debt default rates. The national four-year graduation rate at all private not-for-profit and public four-year institutions is 34%, whereas Elon’s is 77 percent. Another popular graduation rate measure —six-year graduation rates — yields a small rise to 83 percent. This small increase shows that Elon is dedicated to not only getting students through, but through in four years which in turn keeps costs lower, and debt loads manageable. The average student graduating from Elon University can expect $2,350 of debt to pay back.

St. Louis University (191st now, 524th in 2009) also ranks well by keeping costs low.  Given the type of students St. Louis University serves we would expect to see a much higher debt burdens than we actually see. In fact, they rank 13^th in this component of our ranking nationwide.  Additionally, SLU ranks in the top 20 percent of our list with the lowest average debt load. Debt load numbers are very similar to Elon University, with 35 percent of graduates borrowing on average $7,333 to finance their degrees, or a university wide borrowing average of $2,533 of federal loan aid.

Outside of those four, three other schools have improved each year and deserve honorable mentions: Auburn University (204), Elizabethtown College (275), and Temple University (397).

Every university wants to be the best or at least rise in the ranking each year. By focusing on student success and college affordability, those universities are succeeding. Outspending the competition only leads to the academic arms race partially responsible for the rising costs of college. The only way to do well in this list is to produce superior undergraduates that succeed later in life, enjoy their experience, and graduate on time without high debt.

Below is a list of the top ten risers since 2014 that have risen again this year:

1. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities up 435 ranks from 543^rd in 2009 to 108^th in 2014
2. Drake University up 408 ranks from 551^st in 2009 to 143^rd in 2014
3. Northeastern University up 382 ranks from 519^th in 2009 to 211^th in 2014
4. Yeshiva University up 334 ranks from 452 in 2009 to 118^th in 2014
5. St. Louis University up 333 ranks from 524^th in 2009 to 191^st in 2014
6. University of Dayton up 324 ranks from 567^th in 2009 to 243^rd in 2014
7. Baylor University up 288 ranks from 483^rd in 2009 to 195^th in 2014
8. Auburn University up 283 ranks from 487^th in 2009 to 204^th in 2014
9. Texas Christian University up 274 ranks from 491^st in 2009 to 217^th in 2014
10. Drexel University up 265 ranks from 594^th in 2009 to 329^th in 2014

Christopher Denhart is the administrative director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.