Forbes has just released its ranking of the best American universities, a very surprising 2022 list since a public university is in the lead for the first time. This is even ahead of the prestigious members of the Ivy League. Focus on a more than surprising edition.
Each year, Forbes publishes its ranking of the best American universities. At each edition, Harvard monopolized the first place, a position that no one questioned, whether in the charts or in the minds of the general public.
However, the 2022 edition of this ranking seems to shake up the achievements. Harvard, a university of excellence, loses its first place. Worse, the establishment leaves the top 5, in favor of a public university which stands out greatly from the Ivy League.
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Methodology of the 2022 ranking of the best American universities
To achieve its ranking of the best American universities, Forbes looked at several criteria. The main one is the alumni salary, which accounts for 20% of the total score. The outlet relied on data from College Scorecard, to retrieve figures for graduate pay six years and ten years after enrolling, as well as PayScale, to derive alumni salary one to four years and ten years. after graduation.
Student debt is also taken into account by Forbes at 15%, return on training investment (15%), student success rate (15%), graduate satisfaction rate (10%) and the rate of students having obtained an excellence grant (10%). Finally, the media was based on the number of graduates from these universities who are part of the various Forbes rankings (such as 30 under 30, the richest self-made women or the most powerful female personalities) or who have obtained an award. (Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, etc.). This criterion counts for 15%.
The American universities where students are the most in debt
The issue of debt is very present in the United States. Indeed, the cost of tuition fees for American universities remains very high. The price generally varies between $10,000, for the least reputable establishments, and $100,000 to join an Ivy League. Some establishments specializing in a very specific sector, such as art, design or aeronautics, have exorbitant tuition fees!
Thus, it is not surprising to find that the most indebted graduates generally come out of these universities. In 5th position in this ranking of American universities where the average debt per student is the highest, we find Berklee College of Music, with an average debt of $14,445 per student.
The university is followed by Bryant University ($14,496), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach ($14,818), New York School of Interior Design ($17,178). The institution with the highest average debt per student is Otis College of Art and Design at $23,340.
The American universities that offer the best exit salary
When you spend up to $100,000 a year to train at a university, you necessarily expect a return on investment. In general, it is materialized by the promise of a very interesting exit salary. It is certain that a graduate of an Ivy League university or even large establishments like UC Berkeley easily finds work in large companies, in more than interesting positions. However, as you will be able to see, these institutions are not necessarily the ones that offer the best ROI!
The university with the highest exit salary is Harvey Mudd College. Graduates earn an average of $162,500 per year at the start of their careers. The establishment is followed by MIT ($158,100), the United States Naval Academy ($152,600), Princeton ($150,500) and Caltech, California Institute of Technology ($150,300).
As you can see, the establishments with the best exit salaries are the large institutions specializing in technology. Caltech and MIT are among the best universities in the world on the subject. For its part, Mudd prepares future researchers in R&D departments. The academic reputation of this establishment is well established, since 98% of teachers have the highest level of training in the United States.
Why Harvard is no longer the best American university?
As mentioned above, Harvard was dethroned by a public university for the first year. The best American university in 2022 is none other than… UC Berkeley! It must be said that the establishment is attracting more and more, both international partners, students and researchers. Many professors have won a Nobel Prize, so much so that a parking lot is dedicated to them on campus.
Today, UC Berkeley welcomes more than 43,000 students, including 31,000 undergraduates. Average tuition costs are $71,282 per year. The average scholarship amount is $19,126. The average salary for graduates is $138,800 upon graduation. The percentage of successful applicants is 16%.
Harvard, for its part, therefore falls to 7th place. However, it has tuition fees quite close to those of Berkeley (count $75,891 per year) and a very good exit salary of $147,700. The average amount of scholarship awarded to students is approximately $55,000.
How did UC Berkeley get ahead of Harvard? Forbes explains that what can make a difference is the number of students who benefit from federal scholarships. Thus, the Ivy League juggernaut welcomes only 12% of beneficiaries of the Pell scholarship (scholarship issued by the US government) against 27% for UC Berkeley, a figure above the average of the schools in the ranking, around 25 %. These are the details that made the difference and propelled the public university to the top of the rankings.