FYI WSJ:
Methodology
The WSJ/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking was developed and executed in collaboration with our research partners College Pulse and Statista. The ranking scores colleges based on the following components. The weight each component is given in the ranking is indicated as a percentage. Throughout, we use the latest data available for analysis.
Student outcomes (70%):
Salary impact (33%): This measures the extent to which a college boosts its graduates' salaries beyond what they would be expected to earn regardless of which college they attended. We used statistical modeling to estimate what we would expect the median earnings of a college's graduates to be on the basis of the exam results of its students prior to attending the college and the cost of living in the state in which the college is based. We then scored the college on its performance against that estimate. These scores were then combined with scores for raw graduate salaries to factor in absolute performance alongside performance relative to our estimates. Our analysis for this metric used research on this topic by the policy-research think tank the Brookings Institution as a guide.
Years to pay off net price (17%): This measure combines two figuresthe average net price of attending the college, and the value added to graduates' median salary attributable to attending the college. The value added to graduates' median salary by a college was estimated on the basis of the difference between the median earnings of the school's graduates and the median earnings of high-school graduates in the state where the college is located and across the U.S. in proportion to the ratio of students who are in-state versus out-of-state. We then took the average annual net price of attending the collegeincluding costs like tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies, taking into account any grants and scholarships, for students who received federal financial aidand multiplied it by four to reflect an estimated cost of a four-year program. We then divided this overall net-price figure by the value added to a graduate's salary, to provide an estimate of how quickly an education at the college pays for itself through the salary boost it provides. Our analysis for this metric used research on this topic by the policy-research think tank Third Way as a guide.
Graduation rate impact (20%): This is a measure of a college's performance in ensuring that its students graduate, beyond what would have been expected of the students regardless of which college they attended. We used statistical modeling to estimate what we would expect a college's graduation rate to be on the basis of the exam results of its students prior to attending the college and the proportion of their students whose family income is $110,000 per year or higher. We then scored the college on its performance against that estimate. These scores were then combined with scores for raw graduation rates to factor in absolute performance alongside performance relative to our estimates.
Learning environment (20%):
Learning opportunities (5%): The quality and frequency of learning opportunities at the college, based on our student survey. This includes questions about interactions with faculty, feedback and the overall quality of teaching.
Preparation for career (5%): The quality and frequency of opportunities for students to prepare for their future careers, based on our student survey. This includes questions about networking opportunities, career advice and support, and applied learning.
Learning facilities (5%): Student satisfaction with the college's learning-related facilities, based on our student survey. This includes questions about library facilities, internet reliability, and classrooms and teaching facilities.
Recommendation score (5%): The extent to which students would recommend their college, based on our student survey. This includes questions about whether students would recommend the college to a friend, whether students would choose the same college again if they could start over, and satisfaction with the value for money their college provides.
Diversity (10%)
Ethnic diversity (3.3%): The probability that, were you to choose two students or two members of faculty at random, they would be of a different ethnicity from one another; the higher the probability, the higher the score.
Inclusion of students with lower family earnings (3.3%): The proportion of students receiving Pell Grants; the higher the percentage, the higher the score.
Inclusion of students with disabilities (3.3%): The proportion of students who are disabled; the higher the percentage, the higher the score.
We also display the following figures to provide context. These are the components of "Years to pay off net price" as explained above:
Average net price: The average annual overall cost of attending the college, including tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies, taking into account any grants and scholarships, for students who received federal financial aid.
Value added to graduate salary: The value added to graduates' median salary attributable to attending the college. Estimated on the basis of the difference between the median earnings of the school's graduates and the median earnings of high-school graduates in the state where the college is located and across the U.S. in proportion to the ratio of students who are in-state versus out-of-state.
