Rhodes College named one of best in America by Money

For the second year in a row, Money magazine has named Rhodes College one of the top collegiate institutions in the country.

The publication has released its Best Colleges in America 2023 list, and Rhodes was one of 736 schools to make the cut. To determine which organizations to include, Money looked at the more than 2,400 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges in the U.S., and selected the ones that had at least 500 undergraduate students, sufficient and reliable data, and a graduation rate that was at or above the median for their institutional category. They also couldn’t be in financial distress.

The 736 schools that met these requirements were given a star rating, which was dependent on variables like cost of attendance, acceptance rates, graduation rates, financial aid, and alumni salaries. Five stars was the most an institution could receive.

Rhodes earned four stars, with Money noting its acceptance rate of 57%, its estimated 2023-2024 full price of $69,800, its estimated price after grants of $32,700, and its graduation rate of 80%.

Other four-star universities included Mississippi State University, American University, New York University, the University of Mississippi, and Syracuse University.

Thirty four schools received five stars, including Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Florida, the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Notre Dame.

More: Rhodes College receives $800k for new Institute for Race and Social Transformation

The schools on the list with the lowest rating received two-and-a-half stars. These included Alcorn State University, Everglades University, Hampton University, and Mississippi Valley State University.

Rhodes was the only Memphis-based institution ranked. This isn’t the only list it made, either, as it was also recently included on Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best Small Employers.

According to its website, the school has about 2,070 students, a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, an average class size of 14, 215 faculty members, and more than 50 majors and minors.

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at john.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rhodes College named top university by Money