A new college-ranking released by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in collaboration with the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) aims to put “students and learning at its heart.” Willamette ranks as the second highest school in Oregon and fourth highest in the Northwest.
The ranking uses career outcomes data, information on campus resources, student-engagement metrics and environment factors in calculating scores for each school. Over 1,000 colleges and universities across the country are included on the list — a composite of all types of institutions that does not separate schools into specific categories such as public, private or liberal arts.
The rankings rely on THE surveys that gauge institutional engagement efforts by evaluating students’ perceptions of the college and their levels of interaction with faculty and staff.
The survey also assesses institutional resources by looking at the amount of money the college spends per student, the ratio of student to faculty members and the number of published scholarly papers by the faculty. Outcomes are assessed through student graduation rates, salary levels and debt repayment percentages. Data on academic reputation provided by THE’s survey of scholars is also factored.
Finally, the college environment is measured by evaluating numbers of international students, the diversity of the student body and the diversity of the faculty.
Willamette ranked 159 overall and was fourth in the Northwest after University of Washington-Seattle (#61), Seattle University (#117) and Reed College (#137).