4 Top Colleges that Can be Just as Competitive as Ivy League Schools

When it comes time to evaluate which colleges to accept entrance to, if you are looking at Ivy League schools, here are some other colleges that might make the grade and be a better choice. Some things to consider and factor into your decision making process when you are evaluating colleges to attend are tuition pricing, employment rates, and probably most importantly, freshmen to graduation ratios. Having a strong support system at a school that increases graduation rates is worth more than any label or reputation of any school. Even though this is not a proven list or study, it is just some schools to take into consideration for the traits mentioned above.

1.    University of Virginia

•     Freshmen retention rate = 97%

•     4-year graduation rate = 87%

•     Total in-state tuition = $23,986

•     Fun fact:  University of Virginia is the public university with the most Rhodes Scholars.

•     US News and World Report ranks UVA #2 best public university.

•     Offers 51 bachelor’s degrees in 47 fields, 81 master’s degrees in 65 fields, six educational specialist degrees, two first-professional degrees (law and medicine), and 57 doctoral degrees in 55 fields.

2.    University of Florida

•    Freshmen retention rate = 96%

•    Total in-state tuition = $19,257

•    UF is consistently ranked among the top U.S. Universities

•    Job recruiters rank University of Florida 9th as a school that corporations prefer to recruit new employees.

•    In 2012, UF was ranked # 2 SmartMoney magazine’s list of universities whose graduates get the highest salary return for their tuition dollars.
  67% of freshmen graduate in 4 years, 85% graduate in 6 years.

3.    The State University of New York at Stony Brook

•     Freshmen retention rate = 89%

•     One of the best research institutions in the world

•     Total in-state tuition = $23,480

•     Ranking in the top 1% of universities world-wide by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings

•     Responsible for more than 1,840 inventions and more than 500 U.S. patents

•     94% of recent graduates are employed or in grad school.

•     Ranked 16th among public universities with the highest return on investment by PayScale.com

•     Large variety of course study: 67 majors and 80 minors.

4.    California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

•     Freshmen retention rate = 91%

•     Total in-state tuition = $23,478

•     Strong emphasis on learning by doing with a combined technical and professional curriculum.

•     82% of graduates are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation.

•     Wide variety of course study with almost 30 degrees and nearly 70 majors.

•     80 state-of-the-art laboratories and close to 400 clubs or organizations

•     Ranked #6 among universities in the United States by US News & World Report

Bio: Laura Wilson is author and Brand Manager for Our Campus Market. She enjoys sharing college and career tips and ideas.