Texas State named among top colleges for return on investment

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
July 29, 2013

Texas State University has been named a top college for return on investment by the website AffordableCollegesOnline.org.

The new ranking, “AC Online: Highest Return on Investment Colleges in Texas,” identifies the 49 colleges in Texas where degrees pay off the most. Graduates from these schools enjoy the largest earnings gap between non-degree holders over 30 years, and earn more on average than graduates from other Texas schools.

“These are important lists for prospective students to consider,” said AC Online founder Dan Schuessler. “We’ve sifted through comprehensive data sources to find colleges and universities in Texas that offer a high quality education with consistent, long-term payoffs in the workplace.”

AC Online developed the following criteria for consideration as a “High ROI College”:

  • Fully accredited institution
  • Either public or private
  • Four-year, degree-granting institution
  • ROI according to PayScale’s 2013 College Value Report

AC Online compiled a list of schools meeting these criteria by using the following respected, authoritative data sets:

  • NCES (nces.gov/), the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. It provides consistent, reliable, complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends.
  • IPEDS (nces.ed.gov/ipeds/), the primary federal source for data on colleges, universities, and technical and vocational postsecondary schools in the U.S.
  • Carnegie Classification (classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/), a framework widely used in the study of higher education, both as a way to represent and control for institutional differences, and also in the design of research studies to ensure adequate representation of sampled institutions, students, or faculty.
  • Payscale.com (www.payscale.com/about/methodology), the premier salary data collection organization.

“We aim to educate so that potential students are aware of their options for obtaining a degree and, most importantly, for paying for one,” said Schuessler. “What are the most affordable options – online study, two-year, four-year, public or private colleges? What financial aid options are available and what pitfalls should you avoid? Our goal at AffordableCollegesOnline is to keep our finger on the pulse of college-related issues, the latest research, how the government is responding, and help students analyze their options.”

About AC Online

Affordable Colleges Online provides students with information about affordable higher education options. The website offers financial aid videos, expert advice and cost savings ideas. The AC Online website may be found at www.affordablecollegesonline.org.