The overall Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2020 methodology explores four key areas:
Resources
Does the college have the capacity to effectively deliver teaching? The Resource area represents 30 per cent of the overall ranking. Within this we look at:
- Finance per student
- Faculty per student
- Research papers per faculty
Engagement
Does the college effectively engage with its students? Most of the data in this area is gathered through the THE US Student Survey. The Engagement area represents 20 per cent of the overall ranking. Within this we look at:
- Student engagement
- Student recommendation
- Interaction with teachers and students
- Number of accredited programmes
Outcomes
Does the college generate good and appropriate outputs? Does it add value to the students who attend? The Outcomes area represents 40 per cent of the overall ranking. Within this we look at:
- Graduation rate
- Value added to graduate salary
- Debt after graduation
- Academic reputation
Environment
Is the college providing a learning environment for all students? Does it make efforts to attract a diverse student body and faculty? The Environment area represents 10 per cent of the overall ranking. Within this we look at:
- Proportion of international students
- Student diversity
- Staff diversity
- Student inclusion
Our ranking table also offers information for prospective students on the average costs and potential benefits of attending each of the ranked institutions. These are:
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: Out-of-state average tuition and fees for full-time undergraduates 2017-18 (IPEDS 2018 data file)
- Room and board: On campus, room and board 2017-18 (IPEDS 2018 data file)
- Salary after 10 years: Median earnings of students working and not enrolled 10 years after entry (College Scorecard 2013, 2014 and 2015 data files)
For more detail on the pillars and metrics please read the full College Rankings 2020 methodology.
WSJ/THE College Rankings updates policy
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education will, from time to time, update the online versions of the WSJ/THE College Rankings to reflect the current status of colleges’ ranked position.
Updates may be made if there was a publishing error, or if an institution’s data has been corrected in a way that impacts the public ranking, for example, and upon the annual publishing date.
Times Higher Education will also update an institution’s notification dashboard to be consistent with the ranking information available to the public, and document the updates within the Update History section below.