Wyoming is ranked fifth in the U.S. News & World Report’s new, “Best States for Higher Education”, list.
The U.S. News & World Report creates a list of “Best States for Higher Education” and ranks universities based off of five different categories: 2-Year College Graduation Rate; 4-Year College Graduation Rate; Educational Attainment; Low Debt at Graduation and Tuition and Fees.
“One of the reasons I’ve chosen UW for my master’s degree is low tuition rates,” UW Graduate Rian Collins said. “The ratio of quality of education to the cost is perfect here. And of course, the acceptance rates are unbelievably high [97.7%].”
The University of Wyoming is ranked No.1 in the category “tuition and fees”, because of the low tuition fees the university and the states community colleges acquire. According to the UW website, the tuition for undergraduate residents is $15,186 and for non-residents it’s $26,796.
“After I finished college in Sri-Lanka, I had a choice of five different universities to go to,” UW International alumnus Kasun Kumarage said. “I chose UW because the cost of education here is the lowest and the education, especially for engineers, is pretty good.”
U.S. News & World Report ranked Wyoming No.8 in terms of the debt in which UW and community college students graduate with. According to the university website, more than half of UW graduates have no student loan debt.
“I’m very proud, that I have graduated without any student loans,” UW alumnus Thushara Lankananda said. “It was hard, but I was able to combine work, scholarships and the help of parents to pay all my fees.”
According to U.S. News & World Report 2-Year College Graduation Rate, “this measure allows for completion of a two-year degree within three years, or 150 percent of the normal time. And the data show that it generally takes students longer than that (if they finish at all), even in the states that rank among the top 10 for education.”
Wyoming was ranked ninth for the percentage of students who graduate within three years.
“The achievement of college degrees in any state is a measure of how well the educational system has prepared its citizenry for advanced study beyond high school and enabled students to succeed,” the U.S. News & World Report website states.
Wyoming is ranked fifth place overall for its combination of low tuition fees, low student debts and a high community college graduation rate.
