GradReports recently published their 2021 Best College rankings, based on median early-career salary data over 4.6 million graduates from the U.S. Department of Education’s resource, College Scorecard.
Wayne State College ranks as a top college in Nebraska, with the ranking of nine.
“We focus on the data that is most relevant for prospective students — proven outcomes and high salaries,” GradReports representative, Sarah Glass, said. “So, we rank colleges by our proprietary Salary Score, a powerful metric based on median alumni earnings in the year after graduating.
“We leveraged the reported salary data of over 4.6 million college graduates to determine Salary Scores for 2,200+ colleges and 334 majors. Your score compares alumni salaries at your school to the alumni salaries of students in the same programs across all schools, and Wayne State places among the top schools in Nebraska.”
Wayne State College’s annual tuition is $7,172 with a 40.87 salary score.
“In this particular ranking compiled by Gradreports.com, Wayne State is top 10 because that is where our alumni’s salaries placed us compared to other colleges,” director of College Relations Jay Collier said.
“If you explore the information provided about Wayne State College in the ranking, you will see that some of our starting salaries are much higher than the average, while some are lower.”
The higher education industry has been radically altered by COVID-19. The economic fallout from the pandemic has only magnified the need for cost-benefit analysis of pursuing a college degree, and it’s all happening under the shadow of an already looming student debt crisis, according to a GradReports press release.
Despite most education moving online in 2020, the industry has made limited concessions and continued to charge high tuitions despite a change in the offerings.
Now, more than ever before, students are concerned with being able to support themselves, and need the data that illustrates how much they can make in their chosen field after graduation.
In response, higher education data research company Optimal is making it easier for students to know, before they start their education, what they are likely to earn after graduation.
“Generally speaking, the best way to determine if a college is a top college outside of these sorts of rankings based on self-reported data sets, is to evaluate whether the college is a good fit for your goals,” Collier said.
“If your goal is to get an outstanding and affordable college education taught by amazing faculty who deliver individual attention in an environment custom-built for your success, then Wayne State College is the top college in the country.”