The 14 Most Improved Public Colleges in the U.S.
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Here's some encouraging college news: Most colleges are getting better at educating and supporting students through to graduation.
A new study of college graduation rates by the Education Trust, a Washington, D.C., think tank, has found that most colleges have raised their graduation rates during the last decade. And, overall, beleaguered public colleges have improved the most. Today, 58% of freshmen at public colleges earn bachelor's degrees within six years. While that might not sound impressive, it’s almost 5 percentage points higher than the rate from a decade ago.
Importantly, colleges are also generally a doing a better job of helping minority students graduate, the report found. Over the last decade, the graduation rates for Latino students has risen more than 7%, and the rate for African-American students has risen more than 4%.
A Money analysis of the data shows that 14 public colleges stand out as the most rapidly improving high-value colleges in the nation. These colleges all currently have above-average graduation rates, have raised their graduation rates for all students by at least 10% since 2003, and have reduced the achievement gap disparities among races over that time.
Money ranks colleges on a combination of educational quality, affordability, and the financial success of graduates.
| college | Money rank | Graduation rate* |
|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia | 68 | 83% |
| San Diego State University | 116 | 66% |
| California State University-Long Beach | 121 | 60% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | 134 | 83% |
| University at Buffalo | 147 | 72% |
| University of Central Florida | 367 | 67% |
| Temple University | 399 | 66% |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 437 | 63% |
| Grand Valley State University | 473 | 70% |
| Georgia State University | 483 | 53% |
| Ferris State University | 509 | 43% |
| SUNY Oneonta | 525 | 70% |
| University of Minnesota-Morris | 566 | 63% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 659 | 57% |
*As of 2013, the last year for which federal data is currently available.