Holy Cross Leads Three Central Mass Schools in Forbes Rankings

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Friday, August 03, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Three Central Mass colleges made Forbes' list of the best schools in America.

Though the 650 school ranking only included three from Worcester, College of the Holy Cross came in at a very impressive No. 41 nationally. Holy Cross was also ranked at the 37th best private school in the country, and excelled in categories like student to faculty ratio (10:1) and four-year graduation rate (90 percent).

Clark

Clarkies shouldn't feel too bad about their ranking either, as Clark University checks in at No. 128. The ranking may not sound so great, but when you consider Clark beat out several prestigious schools like Syracuse and the University of Miami, it looks a lot better.

Like Holy Cross, Clark's student to faculty ratio was a solid 10:1, but graduation rates were less impressive. Only 73 percent of Clark students graduate in four years, and the number only jumps slightly to 78 percent in six years. Not bad, but nowhere near Holy Cross' impressive numbers.

WPI

Perhaps the biggest head scratcher in the rankings is Worcester Polytechnic Institute coming in at No. 239. Long thought to be one of the best engineering schools in the country, WPI suffered from a high total annual cost (over $54,000), and for having 99 percent of its students on some form of financial aid.

The Methodology

Forbes' rankings are based on five general categories:

Post Graduate success (32.5%)- Evaluates pay and prominence of alumni

Student Satisfaction (27.5%)- Includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates

Debt (17.5%)- Penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates

Four-year graduation rate (11.25%)

Competitive awards (11.25%)- Rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Fulbright or go one to earn a Ph.D.

See the complete rankings here.

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