Ranking Methodology

How can we rank schools when every student has different requirements?

What one student needs is not what all students needs, so how can we accommodate this variability of needs in our ranking?

At Careerswiki, our ranking methodology differs from many other career sites in that we are focused on finding the right fit for students regardless of their financial status, previous education, or location.

Many other sites rank schools based on acceptance rate or the average tuition cost, among other metrics. We believe that this approach is lacking. Specifically, the traditional approach does not account for the variability in learning styles and the needs of the unique student. Moreover, such rankings do not account other important factors of educational programs that are relevant to making a decision.

If we were to rank schools on acceptance rate, would that mean that the lower the acceptance rate, the better quality the institution?

We at Careerswiki do not think so.

While acceptance rates may be an indicator of some facets of the program, it does not indicate that the program is correct for you.

Sure, you might get accepted to program with a high acceptance rate, but that does not mean it will be a good fit. Likewise with the cost. Just because a program has high tuition, does that mean it is, therefore, a better program?

Again, we do not believe so. Just because you put more money into your education does not mean it will be a better education. You can often get a fantastic education at a place that has relatively low tuition rates.

Our Ranking Methodology

So if acceptance rates and tuition are not important, then what is?

We here at Careerswiki believe that education should be available to all and that every student has different requirements.

That is why we decided to rank schools based on student population, graduation rates, and program reputation.

In our experience, these three factors are the best at figuring out if a program is right for you.

We believe that our ranking methodology is a better method of ranking programs because it focuses on aspects of programs that students actually care about.

When it comes to student population, we believe that the size of a program has a lot to do with how well a person fits into the culture.

Transitioning to a large program from a small school can be somewhat a culture shock.

Likewise, the reverse holds as well.

A decent school population allows classes to be large but also allows students to be able to get one-on-one help from their teachers if they need it.

As far as graduation rates are concerned, we believe that a high percentage of graduates is a good indicator that a program is right for you.

High graduation rates indicate that people who choose the program stick with it, and therefore they are more likely to be a good fit for students of all stripes.

We think that reputation is also extremely important, which is why we collect school reviews on our own website and go through the reviews on other websites as well.

An in-depth examination of programs drawn from student and faculty reviews is integral to getting an accurate picture of the pedigree and fit of a program.

Governing authorities are also doing an excellent job by accrediting schools and we only include accredited programs in our school lists.

Accreditation is a good sign that a program does an excellent job training its students and that the school has resources available for students from all walks of life.

Formula

How We Gather Our Data

Whenever we write, we always make sure that the information we provide can be trusted.

That is why we only include information for the most reliable sources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Educational Standards (NCES), and CareerOneStop.

All of our information is written by the most professional writers and thoroughly vetted for accuracy and clarity.

To be more specific, to rank school programs, we use the following data from the following sites: