Forget college prestige. What happens after graduation matters more

Forget college prestige. What happens after graduation matters more.

Key points

• Princeton, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Penn, Notre Dame, Cornell, Yale and Stanford occupied the top 10 spots.
• Babson College, Bucknell University and Lehigh University all ranked surprisingly high when LinkedIn looked at things like internships, alumni networks and long-term career outcomes.
• Five years after leaving school, the median salary for those graduates exceeded $68, 000.
• Recent USA TODAY reporting by Daniel de Visé has explored reservations concerning rising costs and the increasing pressure on colleges to prove they're delivering real value.
• The LinkedIn rankings employ data from the professional networking platform to identify schools that it states best position graduates for career success.

Forget college prestige. What happens after graduation matters more. Jason St. Angelo USA TODAY. In practice, the economic shift forcing hundreds of private colleges to close.

When a small private college closes, what happens to the students? The Excerpt digs into the stark reality behind rising higher education closures.

For years, college rankings have fueled debates around kitchen tables throughout America. Parents and students compare acceptance rates, school reputations and famous alumni while trying to figure out which colleges deserve a spot on the application list.

But if you've talked to a high school senior or their parents lately, you've probably noticed the conversation changing. The question isn't just, "Can my kid get in?" It's becoming, "What happens after they get out?"

That's one reason a new LinkedIn ranking is getting attention. Instead of focusing mainly on prestige or exclusivity, it looks at things families often care regarding most: long-term career success. And that's happening at a moment when more Americans are questioning what a college degree is worth. What should families look for beyond a college's name?

Plenty of rankings have rewarded colleges for being hard to secure into, having sizeable endowments or carrying a well-known name. Those things can matter. But they don't necessarily answer the questions families are writing six-figure checks to answer.

Rather than focusing on exclusivity, families should consider job placement, internship experience, recruiter demand, alumni networks and earning potential. Even if you're not paying attention to rankings, those categories offer a pretty useful checklist when comparing schools. Do students regularly land internships? Do employers actively recruit graduates? Does the alumni network support students produce connections? What kinds of careers do graduates build? Are students developing skills that translate into a changing job market?

Those questions may not be as flashy as a school's ranking or acceptance rate. But they may be far more significant once graduation day arrives. What do career outcomes actually look like? Saying college is "worth it" isn't enough anymore. Families want receipts.

They want to know whether graduates are finding jobs, building careers and landing salaries that justify the cost of a degree. That's one reason outcomes have become such a major focus.

For context, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, lately examined earnings data for graduates of Arizona's public universities and identified that they earned 64% more than peers who did not pursue higher education. Five years after leaving school, the median salary for those graduates exceeded $68, 000. For plenty of families, that kind of information is more useful than a ranking.

Meanwhile, USA TODAY has explored why some students are skipping four-year colleges altogether in favor of trade schools and high-paying blue-collar jobs. Whether students are considering college, trade school or another path altogether, families increasingly want evidence that the choice will pay off. What Princeton, Harvard and Lehigh reveal regarding career outcomes.

For context, the LinkedIn rankings employ data from the professional networking platform to identify schools that it states best position graduates for career success. Plenty of of the familiar names still dominate.

Princeton, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Penn, Notre Dame, Cornell, Yale and Stanford occupied the top 10 spots. That tells us something significant.

When the focus shifts to career outcomes rather than reputation alone, plenty of elite institutions still perform extremely well. But that's not the most interesting part of the ranking.

Further down the list were schools that don't always dominate national conversations regarding higher education.

Babson College, Bucknell University and Lehigh University all ranked surprisingly high when LinkedIn looked at things like internships, alumni networks and long-term career outcomes. The most recognizable schools aren't the only schools helping graduates build solid futures. Is prestige worth it? The honest answer? Sometimes.

Prestige isn't meaningless. A famous name may open doors. But internships, alumni networks and solid career outcomes can open doors, too.

Notably, the broader reporting points to the same trend: Plenty of families are no longer treating prestige as the sole measure of a college's value. They're weighing cost, career preparation and projected outcomes alongside school reputation. What college rankings can't tell you.

Even the best rankings have limits. LinkedIn focused on career outcomes. Other rankings focus on reputation, salary impact, affordability or return on investment. Each one offers a different lens. But no ranking can fully capture what students will learn, how they'll grow as individuals or whether a school is the right fit for their goals. That's one reason college rankings have always attracted skeptics.

For context, a numbered list can be useful. But it can additionally oversimplify one of the biggest decisions a student will ever produce. Choosing a college isn't just regarding choosing a ranking. It's regarding choosing an experience. Meanwhile, the question that matters most.

In practice, a famous name should be the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. Before committing to a school, families may want to ask tougher questions. What opportunities do students obtain outside the classroom? Is the school active in alumni career placement? Do graduates land jobs in fields that interest me? Does the probable outcome justify the cost?

Rankings and reputation can be helpful, but neither one can tell you whether a college is the right fit for your goals, your interests or your budget. In the end, the real value of a college is measured by where its graduates go next.

This story was created by Jason St. Angelo with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information-gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around forget college prestige. What happens after graduation matters more point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.