• Business School
    • Admissions Help
    • MBA Essay Tips
    • Executive MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Admissions Calendar
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
    • EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
  • Medical School
    • Admissions Help
    • Med School Admissions 101
    • Secondary Essay Tips (by School)
    • Student Interviews
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
  • Law School
    • Admissions Help
    • Law School Admissions 101
    • Selectivity Index
    • Free Guides
    • Podcast
    • Video Tips
  • Graduate School
    • Admissions Help
    • Grad School Admissions 101
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
  • College
    • Admissions Help
    • Free Guides
    • Supplemental Essay Tips
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
Accepted

1 (310) 815-9553

Blog HomePodcastContact Us

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

November 9, 2015

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Are Prospective College Students Weighing Economics Over Prestige?

In a recent article published by The Atlantic, a paradigm-shifting study was released based on The Economist‘s new rankings that discuss how future college students will choose the best school for them. The study suggests rejecting the time-honored tradition of using prestige as the determining factor as to the superiority of a school, and proposes instead opting for a more practical outlook of how much the school costs and what kind of wage projection could be expected after leaving the school (in other words, ROI). With mounting student loans to pay off, this may be a more constructive criterion to follow than reputation.

The results of the study were surprising. Many high prestige universities such as Yale and Princeton were ranked at the bottom of the list, having displayed a significantly lower income than the projections showed.

Here are the top ten schools according to The Economist‘s new college rankings:

College Students Weighing Economics Over Prestige

As with all rankings, this research is not definitive, however, and the study’s authors identified the limits of the methodology. Researchers admit that ten years is a short amount of time to project overall income value for a given school, more so considering graduate school attendance during this period of time. The dataset was also limited to students who applied for federal financial aid, effectively excluding the wealthiest students in the school and their salaries from the average.

Regardless of the specific school rankings and placements, the concept is an important one. Many thought-leaders are shifting their priorities from a status-driven mentality to a performance- or value-based school of thought. With economic winds constantly shifting and tuition costs climbing ever-higher, this could be a revolution in the way continued education is viewed and schools are chosen by the population at large.

View our catalog of college admission services!

Accepted: The Premier Admissions Cosultancy
Related Resources:

• 2016 Top Colleges In The U.S.
• Money’s 2015-2016 Top 25 Best Value Colleges In The U.S.
• Colleges Use Rejections to Raise Rankings

Article by Accepted / College Admissions / Rankings

Get Accepted!

Choose your desired degree and then the service that best meets your needs.

Which program are you applying to?

What do you need help with?

Join the informed applicants who read Accepted's blog!

8 Popular Posts

1. Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2021

2. How to Write About Your Research Interests

3. 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future

4. 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

5. How to Write a Goal Statement for Graduate School

6. Writing Your Physician Assistant (PA) Personal Statement [Plus Sample Essay]

7. Sample Essays from Admitted HBS Students

8. The Myth of the Fully-Funded PhD: Using Scholarships to Mitigate the Financial Realities of Research Degrees

Recent Posts

  • Expert Tips on Crafting a Compelling AMCAS Application
  • Writing Your Essays for the TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service)
  • Start Your Med School Journey on the Right Foot
  • Yale School of Management EMBA Class of 2022 Profile
  • 5 Tips for Submitting Your TMDSAS Secondaries
This Site is Featured on GMATClub

Home Page Services and Prices MBA Med School Law School Grad School College

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog
Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553
© 2021 Accepted

BBB A+ RatingStamp of AIGAC Excellence

Copyright © 2021 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in