SAN DIEGO (CNS) - UC San Diego is number 2 on Money magazine's annual list of the 50 Best Colleges in the U.S., released today.
Money based the rankings on a number of factors, including median SAT and ACT scores, graduation rates, estimated tuition costs with and without monetary aid, average student debt and alumni earnings.UCSD finished runner-up to Princeton University and ahead of UC Irvine, UCLA and Stanford University, which rounded out the top five.
San Diego State University ranked 79th on the list, while the University of San Diego ranked 388th. The magazine put the estimated cost to attend UCSD in 2018-19 at $32,900 without aid and $15,900 with aid, and the percentage of students who get grants at 95 percent. The average UCSD student's debt is $18,500, while early career earnings are estimated at $58.600, according to the magazine's data.
To be considered for the rankings, each university has to have at least 500 students, sufficient data for analysis, not be in financial distress and have a graduation rate equal to or higher than the median for the institution's category.
In total, 727 schools met the requirements and were then weighted by education quality, affordability and outcomes.
``These rankings demonstrate what millions of students and alumni already know: the University of California provides a transformative and affordable education for talented young people from all walks of life,'' said UC President Janet Napolitano.