Welcome to the Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide and Rankings, where we rate schools based on what they are doing for the country. It’s our answer to U.S News & World Report, which relies on crude and easily manipulated measures of wealth, exclusivity, and prestige to evaluate schools.
September/October 2018
Introduction: A Different Kind of College Ranking
For the last thirteen years, the Washington Monthly has ranked colleges based on what they do for the country.
America’s Best and Worst Colleges for Vocational Certificates
No publication has ever ranked the schools where millions of Americans seek job skills. Until now.
The Prison-to-College Pipeline
For universities squeezed by falling enrollments, recruiting ex-offenders could be a new source of revenue—and a chance to transform lives.
Why More Colleges Should Treat Students Like Numbers
A few universities are using predictive analytics to boost student success. Are they outliers—or the wave of the future?
An Innovative Fix for Rural Higher Education Deserts
Geography is a barrier to higher education for tens of millions of rural Americans. A few states have hit on an innovative solution.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Higher Education Policy
The battle lines for the next Congress are already clear.
America’s Best Colleges for Adult Learners
Nearly a third of all undergrads are twenty-five or older. Yet no publication ranks the top schools for them—except us.
America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges 2018
Our exclusive list of schools that help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.
America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting
Our first-of-its-kind list of the schools doing the most to turn students into citizens.
Republicans vs. Democracy
Why the war on minority voting rights is about to get even worse.
Do You Know Why You Pulled Me Over?
Investigatory traffic stops are pointless and discriminatory. Why do police still conduct them?
China’s Risky Play for Global Power
A colossal infrastructure investment program could make Beijing a lot of friends around the world—or a lot of enemies.
Giving Us the Business
How hidden fees bleed the middle class dry.
A Note on Methodology: Best Colleges for Adult Learners
We began with the 3,487 postsecondary institutions in the fifty states and Washington, D.C., that were listed in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) as being active in the 2016–17 academic year and had a Carnegie basic classification in 2015 of between 1 and 23, excluding many colleges that only grant certificates as well… Read more »
A Note on Methodology: 4-year Colleges and Universities
To establish the set of colleges included in the rankings, we started with the 1,739 colleges in the fifty states that are listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and have a 2015 Carnegie basic classification of research, master’s, baccalaureate, and baccalaureate/associate’s colleges, are not exclusively graduate colleges, participate… Read more »
Successes of Philanthropy
