When choosing a graduate school, there are a ton of personal factors to consider. At Grad School Hub, we rank schools and programs on several key factors, including academic quality, school affordability, school reputation, and program offerings. We use data from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the universities themselves to make an objective evaluation of each school.
That data is weighted differently depending on the ranking type. For example, we'll lend more weight to affordability and tuition costs on a page ranking the most affordable master's degrees, but will put more emphasis on online program options for a ranking of the best online grad schools.
We organize information about each school into five key metrics for our rankings. Each metric is informed by data from theCollege Scorecard and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS.)
Academic Quality Academic quality refers to the quality of education you'd receive at this school. Qualified staff, smaller classes, and how often students transfer away can all tell us about a school's academic quality. For grad students, it's important to spend tuition money on a program that can increase your expertise and encourage intellectual growth. We use figures like the percentage of full time faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, student retention rate, and graduation rate to measure academic quality.
School Affordability Grad school can be expensive, for many students affordability is the metric that can decide whether or not they pursue a graduate degree. We look at affordability holistically — cost of attendance, fees, opportunity for financial aid and scholarships, cost of living, and average debt. Specifically we use tuition rates, financial aid, and the average student debt for students who graduate to calculate this metric.
School Reputation A university's reputation can tell you a lot about quality of education, networking opportunities, and career outlook. A more prestigious university will attract better professors and may have a more successful alumni pool. A school's reputation can also be a factor in employment and your career — recruiters may be more impressed by an applicant who attended a school with a good reputation. We use admission and enrollment rates to measure this metric. These data points tell us how many students are applying, admitted, and choose to attend. This can indicate the selectiveness of a school. Universities with rates that indicate it's more difficult to get in to often have a better reputation.
Program Offerings For some students, a variety of program options and flexibility is a priority. This factor speaks to the choices you have to customize your education and choose specialties within your degree. It may make you feel less restricted as a student and create more opportunity for unique expertise. We measure this metric by calculating the number of programs and specializations, and the opportunities to choose a hybrid program or to set your own pace.
Online Availability When rankings online online schools, we consider the number of students utilizing this form of learning. Many grad students choose to pursue higher education while balancing a family or job. Having the option to attend online classes can help more students complete a degree. We measure this with an online enrollment score. That score is provided by IPEDS and is the portion of learners taking at least one online course. This tells us how well a school can accommodate flexible learning without compromising quality. The more students taking an online class, the more resources a university will dedicate to that service.
Where do we get our data?
Grad School Hub ranks programs primarily based on educational statistics drawn from theCollege Scorecard andthe Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The U.S. Department of Education runs these objective sources.
The College Scorecard measures information including annual cost, median debt, loan recipient numbers, and graduation rate. The Scorecard offers performance data by field of study. Users can view graduation rates, monthly and median earnings, and student debt information. This financial information derives from tax data, federal financial aid data, and institutional reports. By highlighting these statistics, the College Scorecard helps students and their families access objective information, compare schools, and make educated choices.
Our ranking methodology also integrates data from IPEDS, a National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) tool. The NCES relies on IPEDS to collect aggregated self-reported postsecondary institution survey data. Data collected includes information about student outcomes, graduation rates, and financial aid information.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of our ranking factors.
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 10% |
| Reputation | 30% |
| Program Offerings | 20% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 10% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 10% |
| Reputation | 30% |
| Program Offerings | 20% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 10% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 15% |
| Reputation | 30% |
| Program Offerings | 25% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 10% |
| Reputation | 30% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 30% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 30% |
| Affordability | 40% |
| Reputation | 30% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 20% |
| Affordability | 40% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 15% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 10% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 20% |
| Affordability | 40% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 15% |
| Online Enrollment Score | 10% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 25% |
| Affordability | 45% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 15% |
| Metrics | Weight |
|---|---|
| Academic Quality | 25% |
| Affordability | 45% |
| Reputation | 15% |
| Program Offerings | 15% |
