The rankings feature a new metric comparing graduates’ four-year post-college earnings within their specific fields of study. This evaluates graduates against peers in the same subject nationwide, preventing schools from being rewarded solely for producing graduates in high-paying fields like engineering or finance.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard covers employed federal financial aid recipients with bachelor’s degrees. This metric replaced graduate indebtedness, which U.S. News discontinued due to outdated, uncertain debt data.
About one-fifth of the institutions evaluated were also moved into different categories under an updated classification system developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education.
A school’s move from one list to another may reflect its new category, not a change in academic quality, U.S. News said.
The outlet also added an undergraduate economics specialty ranking and a Best Value Schools for In-State Students list examining affordability at public colleges.