College Composite Rankings

A reach school, or a school that is considered highly-selective, is one where your qualifications (GPA, standardized scores, course difficulty) are at or below those of the average accepted student.

A match school is one where your qualifications (GPA, standardized scores, course difficulty) are at, or just above, those of the average accepted student; note that this is not a guaranteed acceptance, given application volumes, academic expectations, acceptance rates, etc.

A safety school, or a school that is less selective, is one where your qualifications (GPA, standardized scores, course difficulty) are above those of the average accepted student. Consider just 2-3 safety schools, so more time can be devoted to match and reach options.

You may also want to identify a wild-card option: a college that is high-ranked or extremely selective, but where you have great interest. Third party sites such as Common Data Set, College Scorecard and College Board can be useful in classifying schools and gathering data.

The Composite Ranking presents the 300 highest-ranked schools, and helps to smooth out inconsistencies in individual rankings. Consider that rankings do represent a student's academic opportunities, learning experience, career placement, satisfaction, return on investment, and more.

That said, the rankings do not suggest that these schools guarantee success. It is up to the student and family to seek out opportunities for learning and growth in any environment, including in the college setting.

This report is intended to help inspire your choices, and possibly guide you to schools that can offer a more meaningful and quality education. Also, note that there are instances where a college's overall ranking might be lower, but a specific major or degree within a pre-professional track at that college may have a stronger perception and outcome.

While location may be one factor in your decision, you are encouraged to evaluate schools based on all of your learning needs and interests; example templates to reflect on your needs are available to download (College Criteria Template 1 and College Criteria Template 2).

The Composite Ranking is designed to broaden your awareness of different types of educational opportunities, so that you can attain an education of the highest possible quality. Ultimately choosing a college should be based on an understanding of what that school offers you, how it will support your educational journey and where you can maximize your learning.

Additionally, we hope you view your education as an investment of time and resources that will benefit you, your family and the Jamat.

Our Ismaili students attend hundreds of different American and international colleges and universities. We understand that there are a number of factors to consider when identifying, prioritizing and, ultimately, enrolling at a college of your choice. The aim of the Composite Ranking is to share with the Jamat a set of schools that have been recognized for their educational offerings, quality of professors, academic research, and a number of other factors that may signal what these schools have to offer you and your family.

You are encouraged to identify and research schools that would be classified as reach, match and safety choices so that more selective schools are balanced by schools with a higher likelihood of acceptance.

Those enrolled at a school appearing relatively lower, or not at all, in the Composite Ranking hopefully have chosen their institution of higher learning for what that school offers, how it supports the educational journey and how one will maximize the learning while enrolled there. Additionally, there are instances where a college's overall ranking might be lower, but a specific major or degree within a pre-professional track at that same college might have a stronger perception or outcome. All of these factors should be considered as part of your criteria for identifying and prioritizing schools.

The cost of attending college rises every year, and you can rely on a combination of personal savings, financial aid, scholarships, student loans and other sources of funding to help cover attendance costs. While the national student debt level is skyrocketing, and this should not be taken lightly, you might consider viewing your education as an investment, rather than a cost or expense; a shift in perspective can be valuable in how you consider the role education might play in your future endeavors.

As you begin developing a list of schools to consider, avoid eliminating schools from the list too early in the process due to affordability concerns; a majority of top-ranking colleges offer generous aid for families whose annual income falls below certain thresholds. Moreover, private or out-of-state schools are sometimes viewed as being too expensive, but several leading colleges have made strong declarations about their commitment to addressing financial need.

Many students pursue community college or junior college after high school for several reasons - understand why this is your chosen path:

• Is it due to cost?
  • Is there a true inability to cover cost, or is this more to save in the short-term? Would FAFSA, scholarships or a school's financial assistance cover any gaps?
  • Is there general acceptance by the family that one's education is viewed as an investment, rather than a cost or expense?
• Is it because you did not get accepted to the “right” school?
• Is it to “get core classes out of the way”?
• Is it to rebuild your academic strength/profile?
• Is it something else?

Develop a transition plan:

• If you determine that community or junior college is the path you must pursue, develop a plan for when (after Year 1 or Year 2) and how you will transition to a four-year college.
• Identify prospective four-year colleges where you plan to transfer after completing coursework at the community college.
• Understand what classes and GPA you need to transfer to the four-year college of your choice.
• Meet with an advisor at the community college to learn:
  • What is the graduation rate at the community college?
  • Where have students enrolled after community college?
  • What does your course roadmap include?
  • What classes might be accepted for transfer credit?
  • What additional matters should you consider?

The Composite Ranking can be one of several inputs as you begin to learn about a school's mission, academic offerings, and commitment to students and families. Here are a few next steps you might consider in your research:

• Develop criteria to help identify and prioritize schools; understanding your learning needs and interests ensures you evaluate schools objectively (the ideal time to narrow your list for "best fit" is after you receive admissions decisions). Example templates to determine your needs are available to download (College Criteria Template 1 and College Criteria Template 2).
• Ensure an optimal mix of reach, match and safety schools; consider just 2-3 safety schools, so more time can be devoted to match and reach options.

States and schools each have their own policies when it comes to admitting and granting financial assistance to students who do not qualify for FAFSA. Please review these resources to better understand how to navigate this process:

• Guide from Best College
• Guide from Niche