U.S News Ranks Clarkson University Among Nation’s Best

Clarkson University is once again in tier one, the top tier of national universities, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings of “Best Colleges.” Clarkson ranks in the top 125 institutions in the nation.

Clarkson ranked highly in national universities in measures of reputation, with earned recognition by college presidents, provosts and deans across the country based on the strength of Clarkson’s academic programs.

Each year U.S. News surveys more than 1,800 accredited four-year institutions for their annual “Best Colleges” issue. Schools in the “National Universities” category, like Clarkson, offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s, and Ph.D. programs and recognize faculty research as part of strengthening the rigor of the educational experience for students.  During the last year, Clarkson has gained even greater international attention for its research, innovation and contributions to fine particle technology research, aerosol science and engineering solutions to address the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Clarkson is a proven leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We have an established reputation for rigorous academics and igniting what’s next. These rankings are in large part the result of offering a personalized educational experience that transforms the way our students think and lets them create solutions for a better future,” said Clarkson University President Tony Collins.

Contributing to Clarkson’s overall ranking were its academic reputation, its graduation rate, and the potential for student social mobility. The Social Mobility Ranking rates the success of students awarded Pell grants.  Households with family incomes less than $50,000 annually are eligible for Pell grants, and a majority are awarded to students with a family income below $20,000.  

Clarkson is also again on the U.S. News “Great Schools, Great Prices” list (Best Value Schools), which takes into account a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, and the 2020-2021 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid through scholarships and aid.   The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that perform well academically.

Clarkson also ranks highly in undergraduate business programs and in a new category, undergraduate computer science. In particular, the global supply chain management program was ranked as a Top-20 program in the nation for the 17th time. The graduation rate and percentage of freshmen in the top 10% of their high school graduating class also rose from 2020.

U.S. News also ranks Clarkson among its “Best Colleges for Veterans” in the National University category. The list provides military veterans and active-duty service members with data on which top-ranked schools offer benefits that can help them make pursuing a college education more affordable.

The survey editors also placed Clarkson University in the “A+ Options for B Students” list, which they identify as strongly rated schools that accept students who have potential and will work hard.

Clarkson is among the top 10 four-year colleges in the nation adding the most value to student earnings potential, according to value-added college rankings from the Brookings Institution, which look at colleges’ direct contributions to alumni salaries. The report says that getting your degree from Clarkson University can increase your earnings by 42 percent, putting this research university in the top 10 ROIs nationwide.

Of students graduating in Clarkson’s Class of 2019 and using the campus Career Services Center, 97 percent reported being placed in a career related to their chosen field of study and goals in the first six months after graduation and putting them on a path for accelerated career success. Graduates earn salaries among the top 2 percent in the nation.  

Clarkson is in good company in the top tier undergraduate rankings as well as the Best Value Schools category, which it shares with schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Cal Tech and Duke.

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