BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Six Alabama universities recently made The Wall Street Journal’s list of the 400 best colleges in the country.
The list, which The Journal published Wednesday, puts Auburn University as the highest-ranked college in Alabama, while Samford University was ranked the lowest.
“There are the facilities and the faculties, the coursework and the camaraderie, the skills and experiences and knowledge that prepare students for their lives and their careers. No doubt these are important,” the Journal wrote in their story. “But in addition, our ranking puts even greater emphasis on two practical and measurable questions about each school: How much will the college improve its students’ chances of graduating on time? And how much will it improve the salaries they earn after receiving their diplomas?”
Here is how The Journal ranked Alabama colleges:
- Auburn University (174th)
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (234th)
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (251st)
- University of Alabama (270th)
- Birmingham-Southern College (280th)
- Samford University (338th)
The list was developed in collaboration with College Pulse and Statista. Each school’s score was ranked based on factors like graduation rates versus similar colleges, learning opportunities, diversity and cost and returns. On this criteria, universities ranked differently with different criteria. For example, UAB ranked the highest in the state for diversity with 70 while Samford ranked the lowest with 31. However, BSC ranked highest in the state for learning opportunities, coming with a 77. In this area, UAH ranked lowest with a 60.
Auburn’s overall score was 68.7 out of 100, UAB scored at 64, UAH with 62.2, UA with 60.3, BSC with 59.4 and Samford with 51.5.
Princeton University took the top spot as the best college on the list while Indiana State University came last.
The full list can be viewed here.
