We realize lists like this are not as scientifically based as they may want to be.
Still, like everyone else, we’re a sucker for lists on the “most underrated colleges” in the country.
And when we opened the rankings from Business Insider, we were surprised by how large a contingent New Jersey had.
First, the methodology, as explained by Business Insider:
“(We) compiled a ranking of the Top 50 underrated colleges nationwide by considering two factors: reputation and future earnings. We figured that schools with mediocre or obscure reputations but whose students made high salaries would be underrated.
“To determine our ranking, we combined the mutually exclusive sets of Best Universities and Best Liberal Arts Colleges from U.S. News & World Report’s annual college ranking.
“We pulled data on median earnings for students from each school who were working and not enrolled 10 years after starting at the college from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.”
Four schools from New Jersey made the list: Seton Hall (No. 41), Rutgers-Newark (No. 38), Stevens Institute of Technology (No. 12) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (No. 9).
The previously unheralded Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Missouri, took the top spot.
For the complete list, click here.
