WSJ annual ranking of colleges places UK at fifth in Kentucky

The+University+of+Kentucky+announced+a+%24500%2C000+investment+into+the+campuss+mental+health+resources+on+Feb.+21%2C+2020.+Photo+by+Rick+Childress

The University of Kentucky announced a $500,000 investment into the campus’s mental health resources on Feb. 21, 2020. Photo by Rick Childress

Kernel News Staff

UK is better than Louisville, but worse than four other Kentucky colleges, at least according to the Wall Street Journal’s annual college rankings that were released Wednesday.

The Journal’s rankings, which ranks each college on a scale from zero to 100 based on various data metrics, costs, student performance after graduation and student feedback, places close to 1,000 U.S. colleges in an ordered list that is topped by the likes of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

UK was ranked number 372, a twelve position drop from last year’s rankings which held the university at 360.

UK scored a 51.8 out of 100. The average graduate earns an average salary of $42,133 a decade after graduation. According to the rankings, UK spends $16,330 on academic expenses per student.

In the state of Kentucky, UK was fifth best, getting beat out by four private colleges. Centre College was ranked number one in the state, followed by Berea College, Transylvania University and Bellarmine University.

The University of Louisville was sixth in the state, Western Kentucky University was ninth and Eastern Kentucky University was 11th. Northern Kentucky University finished last in the state with a score that ranged between 24.4 and 37.2.

In the SEC, Vanderbilt led the way as the Nashville-based university was ranked 19th in the nation. UK was ranked 9th out the 14 schools in the conference. Mississippi State University finished last in the SEC.

You can view the philosophy and methodology behind the rankings here.