With many colleges opting to go back to in-person this fall, they are navigating a second year of pandemic measures. For many, proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test are now as commonplace as shower caddies and mini-fridges.
Though college students face a relatively low risk of serious illness and death, college towns experienced the ripple effects of their return to campus last year. Now, with the Delta variant wreaking havoc across the nation, health officials warn another fall surge may be on the way.
Yet even as 10% of colleges transition to fully online learning, college towns still hold a nostalgic place in American culture. To rank America’s best college towns, we awarded points based on three criteria:
- Affordability: Rent for a one-bedroom apartment (-4x), net cost (-4x), median student loan debt (-3x)
- Social life and culture: Walk score (4x), bike score (3x), entertainment options per 100,000 residents (2.5x), restaurants per 100,000 residents (2.5x), Power 5 (2x), student to population ratio (2x)
- College quality: Graduation rate (2x), retention rate (2.5x), median pay after ten years (2x), spending per student (1.5x), median number of undergraduates (1.5x), admission rate (-1x)
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
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Methodology
We used data from the Department of Education to create our list of college towns. To qualify, a college town had to have a four-year, degree-granting institution where the majority of students are considered full-time and the majority of degrees awarded are Bachelor-level or higher.
Data for the ranking metrics were sourced from Zumper (rent costs), ApartmentList (rent costs), Walk Score (walkability and bikeability), the U.S. Census (population estimates, number of establishments), and the U.S. Department of Education (all other data points).
The data were categorized into three metrics: affordability, quality of the college(s), and quality of life in the college town.
Affordability measured living expenses and college affordability, with negatively weighted metrics to reflect less affordable towns.
- Median Student Loan Debt (about 3x): The median student loan principal amount at the time of repayment (typically about 6 months after full-time student status ends). Missing data were replaced by the median value for schools fitting the same Carnegie Undergraduate Profile Designation.
- Rent ( about 4x): The median monthly cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment near campus. If rent data were not available near the college, we used the median cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the town. In very rare cases where those data were not available, rent was considered the median cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the state. The rent cost was averaged across all colleges in the town.
- Net Cost (-4): The net cost of attendance was calculated as the average tuition and fees minus scholarships, aids, and grants across the student body, averaged across each college in the town. Missing data were replaced by the median value for schools fitting the same Carnegie Undergraduate Profile Designation.
Education quality considered the total number of students, exclusivity, retention and graduation rates, graduates’ salaries, and resources allotted to instruction at the college.
- Retention Rate (2.5x): The proportion of full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates still enrolled in the fall one year after starting at the institution, averaged across all colleges in the town. Missing data were replaced by the median value for schools fitting the same Carnegie Undergraduate Profile Designation.
- Graduation Rate (2x): Percent of students who graduate within 150% of the estimated time to complete their program (e.g., 6 years for a typical 4-year degree program), averaged across all colleges in the town. Missing data were replaced by the median value for schools fitting the same Carnegie Undergraduate Profile Designation.
- Median Pay (2x): Median earnings of students who are working and not enrolled at the college ten years after first enrollment, averaged across all colleges in the town. Missing data were replaced by the median value across all colleges.
- Number of Undergraduate Students (1.5x): Enrollment of undergraduate certificate/degree-seeking students, totaled across all colleges in the town.
- Instructional Expenditures per Student (1.5x): University spending on instruction per full-time, degree-seeking student, averaged across all colleges in the town.
- Admission Rate (-1x): Proportion of applicants accepted for admission, averaged across all colleges in the town. Missing data were replaced by the median value for schools fitting the same Carnegie Undergraduate Profile Designation.
We also considered social and quality of life factors in college towns and surrounding areas.
- Walk score (4x): Walkability near the college, averaged across all colleges.
- Bike score (3x): Bikeability near the college, averaged across all colleges.
- Entertainment establishments (2.5x): Number of arts, entertainment, and recreation establishments per 100,000 residents. Missing data were replaced by the median number of establishments across all towns.
- Restaurants (2.5x): Number of restaurants per 100,000 residents. Missing data were replaced by the median number of establishments across all towns.
- Power 5 Designation (2x): Binary (yes / no) designating whether at least one college in the town is in one of the Power 5 Conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC).
- Student-to-Population Ratio (2x): Ratio of students enrolled in all colleges in the town to the general population.
Each of the above metrics was calculated across all colleges for a single town (by averaging or summing across the colleges). The data were then standardized using z-scores and multiplied by their respective weight. The weighted score for each metric was summed to create a weighted score for each of the categories (affordability, quality of college and quality of life) and each of those was summed to create a total score for the overall ranking.
Image Credit: jacoblund.
50. Golden, Colorado
Colleges: Colorado School of Mines
Image Credit: knowlesgallery / iStock.
49. Ames, Iowa
Colleges: Iowa State University
Image Credit: C5Media / iStock.
48. Lexington, Kentucky
Colleges: University of Kentucky
Image Credit: ehrlif /iStock.
47. Columbia, South Carolina
Colleges: University of South Carolina-Columbia, Benedict College, Columbia College
Image Credit: Kruck20 / istockphoto.
46. Lexington, Virginia
Colleges: Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
45. Clemson, South Carolina
Colleges:
Clemson University
Image Credit: Jim Brown / iStock.
44. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Colleges: Louisiana State University, Southern University and A & M College
Image Credit: ReDunnLev / iStock.
43. New Brunswick, New Jersey
Colleges: Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Image Credit: luvemakphoto / iStock.
42. Norman, Oklahoma
Colleges: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Image Credit: Wolterk / iStock.
41. Notre Dame, Indiana
Colleges: University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College
Image Credit: Aaron Yoder / iStock.
40. Tucson, Arizona
Colleges: University of Arizona
Image Credit: Wolterk / iStock.
39. Minneapolis
Colleges: Dunwoody College of Technology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Augsburg University
Image Credit: AlexiusHoratius.
38. La Jolla, California
Colleges: University of California-San Diego, National University
Image Credit: InnaPoka / istockphoto.
37. Provo, Utah
Colleges: Brigham Young University
Image Credit: Brigham Young University, Laie, Hawaii.
36. Rolla, Missouri
Colleges: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Image Credit: Adavidb / Wiki Commons.
35. Blacksburg, Virginia
Colleges: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Image Credit: ablokhin/ iStock.
34. Columbia, Missouri
Colleges: University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia College, Stephens College
Image Credit: Columbia College, Columbia, Mo..
33. Bloomington, Indiana
Colleges: Indiana University-Bloomington
Image Credit: Wardsr .
32. Tallahassee, Florida
Colleges: Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Image Credit: RAUL RODRIGUEZ/ iStock.
31. Stillwater, Oklahoma
Colleges: Oklahoma State University
Image Credit: Wolterk / iStock.
30. College Park, Maryland
Colleges: University of Maryland-College Park
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
29. Madison, Wisconsin
Colleges: Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Herzing University-Madison
Image Credit: University Of Wisconsin-Madison.
28. Newark, Delaware
Colleges: University of Delaware
Image Credit: w:User talk:Cargoudel / Wiki Commons.
27. Iowa City, Iowa
Colleges: University of Iowa
Image Credit: C5Media / iStock.
26. Los Angeles
Colleges: University of California-Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Occidental College, Loyola Marymount University, California State University-Los Angeles, Mount Saint Mary’s University
Image Credit: Laser1987 / iStock.
25. Eugene, Oregon
Colleges: University of Oregon
Image Credit: joshuaraineyphotography / iStock.
24. Athen, Georgia
Colleges: University of Georgia
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/ iStock.
23. Ithaca, New York
Colleges: Ithaca College, Cornell University
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
22. Boulder, Colorado
Colleges: University of Colorado Boulder
Image Credit: twilightproductions / istockphoto.
21. Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Colleges: Shepherd University
Image Credit: Acroterion / Wiki Commons.
20. College Station, Texas
Colleges: Texas A & M University-College Station
Image Credit: Michael Barera.
19. Davis, California
Colleges: University of California-Davis
Image Credit: AlessandraRC / iStock.
18. East Lansing, Michigan
Colleges: Michigan State University
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
17. Oxford, Mississippi
Colleges: University of Mississippi
Image Credit: Kirkikis / iStock.
16. University Park, Pennsylvania
Colleges: Pennsylvania State University
Image Credit: drnadig / iStock.
15. Fairfax, Virginia
Colleges: George Mason University
Image Credit: Nicolas Tan/Creative Services/George Mason University / Wiki Commons.
14. Evanston, Illinois
Colleges: Northwestern University
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
13. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Colleges: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Image Credit: Wikipedia / Pilotguy.
12. Morgantown, West Virginia
Colleges: West Virginia University
Image Credit: catnap72 / iStock.
11. West Lafayette, Indiana
Colleges: Purdue University
Image Credit: akrassel / istockphoto.
10. Gainesville, Florida
Colleges: University of Florida, Santa Fe College
Image Credit: WillMcC .
9. Champaign, Illinois
Colleges: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Image Credit: Killivalavan Solai.
8. Berkeley, California
Colleges: University of California-Berkeley
Image Credit: Kirkikis / iStock.
7. Cambridge, Massachusetts
Colleges: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lesley University
Image Credit: Ario Barzan .
6. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Colleges: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Image Credit: User: (WT-shared) Jha4ceb at wts wikivoyage.
5. Charlottesville, Virginia
Colleges: University of Virginia
Image Credit: Bestbudbrian .
4. Princeton, New Jersey
Colleges: Princeton University
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
3. Pasadena, California
Colleges: California Institute of Technology
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
2. Williamsburg, Virginia
Colleges: William & Mary
Image Credit: Jrcla2 / Public domain.
1. Stanford, California
Colleges: Stanford University
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