Here’s a shocker: Going to a brand-name college won’t necessarily improve the odds that a student will graduate in four years.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s see how well you do guessing which of the following colleges have the highest and lowest four-year graduation rates:
- UCLA
- Ohio State University
- Juniata College (PA)
- University of Texas
- University of Southern California
- Georgia State University
- University of Wisconsin
- University of Michigan
- University of Utah
- University of Arizona
Ready? Here are the four-year graduation rates for those 10 schools:
1. Juniata College 74%
2. University of Michigan 70%
3. University of Southern California 65%
4. UCLA 59%
5. University of Texas 46%
6. University of Wisconsin 44%
7. Ohio State University 39%
8. University of Arizona 30%
9. University of Utah 21%
10. Georgia State University 15%
Okay that’s not fair. I threw my daughter’s school, Juniata College, into the mix — and who has ever heard of it? Let’s try this again. But this time, I’m going to make the list even harder:
- University of North Carolina
- Centre College (KY)
- University of Colorado
- Transylvania University (KY)
- Miami (Ohio) University
- Penn State University
- University of Missouri
- Illinois Wesleyan University
- Union College, (NY)
- Indiana University
Here are their four-year graduation rates:
1. Union College 86%
2. Centre College 78%
3. Illinois Wesleyan University 76%
4. University of North Carolina 71%
5. Miami University 68%
6. Transylvania University 67%
7. Penn State University 56%
8. Indiana University 50%
9. University of Missouri 40%
10. University of Colorado 38%
Didn’t do so great the second time either?
Then, if you have a son or daughter nearing college and you want to increase the chances that their tuition will be paid in four years, check four-year graduation rates of any colleges or universities at The Education Trust website.
