WSJ/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in America published today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford, Babson, Yale are top-3. Rest is paywalled.

At a maximum acceptance rate of 17%, most applicants will not gain admission to these schools. For this reason, it may be immaterial how the WSJ arrived at its choices.

Ever hear of ED?

Only one of the top three schools offers an ED option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Isn't it, though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Wow, UMDCP. That's horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Anyone in Virginia with two brain cells knows that W&M is leaps and bounds a better education than JMU or Mason. Tech and W&M are hard to compare because they are so different in size and focus and both fairly selective. But come on, this is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Anyone in Virginia with two brain cells knows that W&M is leaps and bounds a better education than JMU or Mason. Tech and W&M are hard to compare because they are so different in size and focus and both fairly selective. But come on, this is absurd.

FOUR Virginia state schools ahead of UMDCP. That is brutal. Has got to sting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WSJ rankings actually fill a very important niche for families that have little to no hope of attending even a top 50 school.

As an example, they list schools that we all know aren't "the best", but they represent likely great values and options for a lot of kids. Just looking at the list, below is an interesting sampling:

13. UC Davis
14. UC Merced
17. San Jose State University
19. Loyola University MD (I actually don't know if that's a great value)
21. Cal State Stanislaus
22. Cal State Pomona
28. Cal State San Obispo
32. Cal State Fresno
36. University of Detroit Mercy
38. University of Delaware
44. Baruch

It's not really saying these are the "best" colleges, but rather these colleges have the best relative outcomes for students.

I think including schools like Babson and Bentley is a bit unfair because they are 100% business...it's unclear how those schools would rank if only compared to Wharton, Stern, Ross et al.

Agreed. It's why I liked the list of 75 in Dream School. My DD is not getting into a top 25. I got some ideas for places that give good merit aid and you can get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Anyone in Virginia with two brain cells knows that W&M is leaps and bounds a better education than JMU or Mason. Tech and W&M are hard to compare because they are so different in size and focus and both fairly selective. But come on, this is absurd.

FOUR Virginia state schools ahead of UMDCP. That is brutal. Has got to sting.

SEVEN California state schools and Loyola (Maryland) ahead of UVA. That is brutal. Has got to sting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Anyone in Virginia with two brain cells knows that W&M is leaps and bounds a better education than JMU or Mason. Tech and W&M are hard to compare because they are so different in size and focus and both fairly selective. But come on, this is absurd.

These rankings are based on outcomes. And as a Virginian with three kids in three of the above schools, I agree with them. I'm sorry, but I don't subscribe to this mindless "W&M is leaps and bounds a better education" than X or Y. The W&M boosters on this forum are absolutely insufferable.

"Unlike other school rankings, this list emphasizes one point: How well did the college prepare students for financial success? More than any other factor, it rewards the boost an institution provides to its graduates’ salaries, beyond an estimate of what they could have expected from attending any college."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local public schools:

UVA - 31
Virginia Tech - 35
George Mason - 71
JMU - 102
UMDCP - 125
W&M - 184
UMDBC - 187

Very interesting.

Anyone in Virginia with two brain cells knows that W&M is leaps and bounds a better education than JMU or Mason. Tech and W&M are hard to compare because they are so different in size and focus and both fairly selective. But come on, this is absurd.

FOUR Virginia state schools ahead of UMDCP. That is brutal. Has got to sting.

+1
Not to mention, ahead of W&M.

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to get into UC Merced out of state?