Best Colleges to Get a Job: There’s no doubt that colleges are important, and getting into the right one can be a major step towards setting yourself up for a promising career. Yet we often look at colleges in terms of their prestige and perceived ability to impress employers and land their students jobs, without ever considering the actual best colleges to get a job, based on statistics.
Here, we provide you with just such a list, of the colleges that will give you the best chance of landing a job shortly after polishing off your degree. The ranking is based on a number of factors, including the location of the school and the employment situation in that region, the SAT score requirements for that school in relation to its students’ ability to find work, the overall body of students at that school, and numerous other factors. This list will give you a good idea of some of the most favorable schools to attend if you have your sights are set on landing a job in that region afterwards.
So let’s get started with the countdown of the best colleges to get a job. And if you’re interested in some further (and rather interesting) reading on the subject, check out our list of the The 26 Best Colleges to Find A Husband. Perhaps with a little careful cross-referencing, you can find a school that could both land you a job, and a hubby; we won’t spoil it for you if any colleges landed on both lists.
Now then, on with the college job hunt.
25. Washington State University
Location: Pullman, Washington, USA
SAT Score Required: 930-1170
Washington State University aims to change the world and provides quality education to no less than 26,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.
24. University of Southern California
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
SAT Score Required: 1270-1480
With a strong tradition of mixing both liberal and professional education, USC fosters a lively culture of public service and motivates students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge.
23. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Massachusetts, USA
SAT Score Required: 1410-1570
MIT aims to spur progress on knowledge and educate students in science, technology and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation.
22. University of Notre Dame
Location: Notre Dame, USA
SAT Score Required: 1340-1520
At the University of Notre Dame, NCAA Division athletics, rigorous academics, and numerous events and activities create a setting in which the students are ignited with a passion to learn and to live to their fullest capacity.
21. Rutgers University
Location: New Brunswick, NJ, USA
SAT Score Required: 1080-1310
It is a foremost national research university, and the state’s finest comprehensive public institution of higher education.
20. University of Virginia
Location: Charlottesville, VA, United States
SAT Score Required: 1010-1200
The University of Virginia is a public research university. This is the only university campus in the United States that is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
19. North Carolina State University
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA
SAT Score Required: 1090-1280
As one of the leading state-grant schools in the nation, NC State is committed to playing an active and essential role in improving the quality of life for the citizens of North Carolina, the nation, and the entire world.
18. Texas Tech University
Location: Lubbock, TX, USA
SAT Score Required: 1020-1210
Texas Tech University delights itself on being a major research university that retains the sense of a smaller liberal arts institution.
17. University of California
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
SAT Score Required: 1170-1430
For nearly 100 years, UCLA has been a leader, encouraging perseverance through the impossible, turning the futile into the achievable.
16. University of Wisconsin
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
SAT Score Required: 1200-1440
The University of Wisconsin is a public research university. According to the 2014 QS World University Rankings, it was ranked 37th in the world.
15. University of California
Location: Berkeley, California
SAT Score Required: 1240-1480
Among the 212 doctoral programs which were placed in a National Research Council analysis, 48 of them were from Berkeley.
14. Cornell University
Location: Ithaca, New York
SAT Score Required: 1310-1520
Cornell is a private research university, making contributions to all fields of knowledge in a manner that gives importance to public engagement, and to improve the quality of life in the state.
13. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
SAT Score Required: 1400-1550
Virginia Tech takes a concrete, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities.
12. Ohio State University
Location: Columbus, Ohio
SAT Score Required: 1150-1360
Ohio State University is a four-year coeducational public research university.
11. Brigham Young University
Location: Provo, Utah
SAT Score Required: 1270-1450
Brigham Young University aims to assist individuals in their pursuit of perfection, providing a period of intensive learning where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued.
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SAT Score Required: 1320-1520
CMU is a global research university known as the birthplace of innovation since its founding in 1900.
9. University of Florida
Location: Gainesville, Florida
SAT Score Required: 1400-1580
UF is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university. It is among the nation’s most academically diverse public universities.
8. University of Maryland
Location: College Park, Maryland
SAT Score Required: 1370-1540
The University of Maryland is a publicly-owned research university, offering 127 undergraduate degrees and 112 graduate degrees in thirteen different colleges and schools.
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
SAT Score Required: 1260-1450
Georgia Tech is a science and technology-centered learning institute famous for its deeply-held commitment to improving the human condition.
6. University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
SAT Score Required: 1260-1460
The University of Michigan is a place with deep traditions focused on creating brighter futures, helping to explore the diverse and vibrant fabric that makes them the home of leaders.
5. Arizona State University
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
SAT Score Required: 970-1240
Arizona State University aims to provide the best educational facilities to their students.
4. Purdue University
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
SAT Score Required: 1120-1440
Purdue University is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. It offers several doctoral programs and professional degrees.
3. University of Illinois at Urbana
Location: Champaign, Illinois
SAT Score Required: 1320-1510
Illinois is a world leader in research, teaching, and public engagement, thanks to this internationally renowned institution.
2. Texas A&M University
Location: College Station, Texas
SAT Score Required: 1100-1420
Texas A&M University is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields, providing the highest quality of undergraduate and graduate programs.
1. Pennsylvania State University
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
SAT Score Required: 1090-1300
This the largest student-run philanthropic organization on the planet, having 24 campuses, 100,000 students, 17,000 faculty and staff, a teaching hospital, over 1.5 million active alumni, and an online World Campus that authorizes everyone to pursue an education. Thus, it is ranked number one on our list as the best college to find a job.
