The outstanding value of a WPI education has once again been confirmed on a national scale, as WPI has been ranked 48th out of more than 1,500 colleges across the country on Money’s magazine’s recently-released 2015 “Best Colleges” list.
The second annual list identifies 736 colleges that provide the best value based on educational quality, affordability, and alumni earnings. WPI moved up several slots this year from our 2014 ranking of 114.
In particular, WPI scored highly for post-graduation success, with alumni achieving an annual average salary of $63,200 within five years of graduation. Money attributes the impressive salary to WPI’s challenging and hands-on project program, noting, “The real-world experience appears to help students snag well-paying jobs. Graduates earn an annual average of $63,200 in the early years of their career, 30% higher than schools that admit a similar demographic of students.”
Money also praises WPI’s extensive global project system, Great Problems Seminars for first-year students, and unique grading system and term structure.
WPI is consistently ranked highly for college value and graduate success, including placing in the top 1.5% of colleges nationally for return on investment according to PayScale. Money’s list is distinctive in that it looks at 21 diverse factors, including instructor quality, net price, financial aid, graduate earnings, and career services. It also assesses colleges based on several special value-added measures that take into account factors such as student economic backgrounds and market value of skills listed by alumni on LinkedIn. See the full rankings.
