By Alcorn State University
Alcorn State University joins five Mississippi universities in a list of 623 ranked public and private institutions and is ranked among the top HBCUs in the nation in Money’s “The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value.”
In its listing released May 16, Money ranked more than 600 colleges and universities after looking at more than 2,400 institutions with above-average graduation rates. Scoring included 24 measures within three broad categories: quality, affordability, and outcomes. The quality measures focused on graduation rates; affordability looked at the net price of a degree, student and parent borrowing and loan repayment rates; and outcomes evaluated the median earnings, the share of alumni working and the share of alumni earning more than a high school graduate.
According to the release, the analysis also includes four “value-added” calculations, which compared a school’s performance against its predicted performance after accounting for the standardized test scores and percentage of low-income students among its enrollees.
“This year’s Best Colleges list is a new take on our long-standing commitment to helping families make a smart college choice,” says Money Executive Editor Mike Ayers. “We changed things up so more students could use this list to make educated choices about investing in their future.”
“Attending college is one of the biggest financial decisions that students and their families will make,” said Dr. Felecia M. Nave, president of Alcorn State University. “Alcorn has long been known for its supportive learning environment and providing an affordable and exceptional educational experience that prepares graduates for a lifetime of success. We believe, as national surveys continue to indicate, Alcorn is a great educational choice.”
In a previous study, Money and Essence magazines ranked Alcorn at no. 9 in their “The Best HBCUs: Essence and Money Rank Top Colleges for Black Students” and no. 32 in “The 50 Best Colleges for African-Americans” which includes nationally-recognized schools such as Harvard, Duke, and Georgia Tech. In addition to data compiled by Money for its annual Best College rankings, the study found these schools provide Black students with the best combination of representation, affordability, and postgrad earnings.
Alcorn State also made the top ten in a new study “HBCUs with the Highest Payoff for Black Students.” The data-driven college rankings site OnlineU released their ranked list of the median salaries of HBCUs’ alumni and compares them to other Black graduates in the state. According to the study, graduates of Alcorn State earned the highest economic return of HBCU alumni in Mississippi.
