New ranking system evaluates colleges' impact on upward mobility

In a recent development, the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education have introduced a new scoring system to evaluate colleges based on their ability to promote upward mobility among students. The initiative, known as the Student Access and Earnings Classification, aims to highlight institutions that effectively support low-income and underrepresented students in improving their economic status.

Kyle Whitman, chief data scientist for Carnegie, explains that this new classification addresses a critical gap by focusing on where students start economically before entering college and their success afterward. "We spent a couple years and a lot of versions to see what made sense and what didn’t make sense," Whitman states. The project measures both enrollment and earnings relative to geography, setting it apart from other college comparison methods.

Whitman emphasizes the importance of geographic context in evaluating colleges. "So many other projects don’t consider geography at all," he says. This new approach accounts for regional differences in student demographics and earnings potential eight years post-enrollment.

Each institution receives scores for student access and earnings starting from zero or higher. A score of 1 indicates alignment with expected enrollment rates for low-income and minority students based on local demographics, while an earnings score of 1 reflects median salary levels in the region.

The analysis uses city-level data for regional schools like the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley rather than statewide figures. This customization allows more accurate assessments tailored to specific communities served by these institutions.

Institutions achieving high scores are labeled "Opportunity Colleges and Universities." These schools score at least 1 in access and exceed average earnings expectations for disadvantaged groups—specifically scoring at least 1.5 in earnings for four-year colleges or 1.25 for two-year institutions.

Several campuses such as Chamberlain University, Howard University, Ferris State University, along with fourteen tribal colleges including Aaniiih Nakoda College and Haskell Indian Nations University have been recognized as opportunity schools under this new classification.

Whitman expresses excitement over discovering lesser-known institutions excelling under these criteria: “Those schools that I've never heard of before that get to be an Opportunity College...that's exactly why we want to dig into these cases.”

He notes that prestigious universities will continue performing well but hopes this broader lens will shine light on effective yet previously overlooked programs due to lower living costs associated with certain regions: “Stanford's always going look good; MIT is always going look good...we’re able widen aperture who we consider ‘doing well.’”

The methodology also accounts for racial gender-based earning disparities further leveling playing field across diverse educational landscapes nationwide—a step forward towards equitable recognition within academia according Whitman’s assessment: “I think way we've created methodology leveled playing field needed leveled.”