FSU Ranks High in Two Recent College Studies

Two new studies based on the US. Department of Education’s 2015 College Scorecard database have ranked Frostburg State University high in terms of the value the college adds to its students earning potential. The rankings, coming from the Economist and the Brookings Institute, both show a significant difference from traditional college rankings such as the annual list released by US News and World Report. Instead of ranking colleges based off of typical criteria such as selectivity of admissions and student SAT and ACT, the Economist and the Brookings Institute both attempt to measure the value college add to their students earning potential.

While both the Economist and the Brookings Institute use different methods to get their data, both studies found former students to “over-perform” at FSU in earnings more than expected at the midpoint of their careers. The Economist ranked FSU number 101 in the nation of 1,275 four-year non- vocational schools, placing FSU in the top 8 percent of such institutions nationwide. Brookings gave FSU a score of 78 of a possible 100 among all four-year schools nationwide, placing FSU in the top 25 percent of all four-year institutions of higher education in terms of value added.

Six other schools of the twelve institutions in the University System of Maryland were also ranked by each study.

Only two schools ranked higher than FSU in one of the two studies and that was Bowie State University and Coppin State University

The Economist ranked Bowie State University number 61 in the nation, placing Bowie State University in the top 5 percent of such institutions nationwide. Brookings gave Bowie State University a score of 67 of a possible 100 amount all four-year schools nationwide, placing Bowie State University in the top 30 percent of all four-year institutions of higher education in terms of value added. The Economist ranked Coppin State University 72 in the nation, placing Coppin State University in the top 5 percent. Brookings gave Coppin State University a score of 67 of a possible 100 amount all four-year schools nationwide, placing Coppin State University in the top 30 percent along with Bowie State University.

Salisbury University, a peer institution of FSU, ranked lower in both studies. Salisbury University ranked 156 in the Economist study, placing the school in the top 10 percent. Also, Salisbury ranked 75 of a possible 100 in Brookings Institute, which places Salisbury University slightly lower in the 25 percent range.

Towson ranked even lower in both studies. Towson ranked 366 of 1,275 four-year-non vocational schools in the Economist study, 265 places lower than FSU which places Towson in the top 30 percent. In the Brookings Institute study, Towson ranked 75 out of 100 with Salisbury University to make it in the slightly lower 25 percent range. University of Maryland Eastern Shore ranked 118 in the Economist study. That places University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the top 8 percent just like FSU. However, the Brookings Institute ranked University of Maryland Eastern Shore 71 of a possible 100 schools which places the school in the top 30 percent of all four-year institutions.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County and University of Maryland, College Park both ranked worse in each study in comparison to the other schools. University of Maryland, Baltimore County ranked 737 out of 1,275 schools, placing the school in the 60^th percent which is 52 percent lower than FSU. The Brookings Institute ranked University of Maryland, Baltimore County 74 out of a possible 100, placing the school in the top 28 percent. University of Maryland, College Park ranked the worst out of all the twelve schools in the University System of Maryland. In the Economist, University of Maryland, College Park ranked 1059 out of 1,275 schools which places the school in the negative percent, and according to the study means that students actually make less than their expected earning potential. The Brookings Institute had similar results. The study ranked University of Maryland, College Park in 72 in the nation, placing the university in the top 28 percent along with Coppin State University.

These rankings are a significant deviation from traditional college rankings, such as the annual list released by US News and World Report, which order colleges based on the perceived quality of the institution based on such metrics as reputational surveys from peer institutions, student SAT and ACT scores, grade point averages, alumni giving, selectivity of admissions and other data.

Student and business major Tarek Shams was surprised when hearing about this data, but thinks that FSU truly does provide a great value for its students. “As a business major, I love seeing people make smart decisions when it comes to costly money endeavors like college,” said Shams. “I think people try to dismiss FSU for bigger universities, but the education is practically the same and you save a lot of money going here so the value is better.”

It seems that while FSU might not be the most well-known school in the world, certain studies are starting to see the school’s value through the better predicted success of FSU graduates. With graduation just around the corner, this is great news for students who will find themselves working in the real world in the very near future.