SRU featured in Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings

Sept. 5, 2019

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — For the fourth consecutive year, Slippery Rock University is featured among the best national colleges and universities in the 2020 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. The WSJ/THE rankings include a total of 801 institutions nationwide.

SRU was ranked in the >600 band.

Developed in partnership with U.S. experts and universities, the rankings adopt a balanced scorecard approach. WSJ/THE uses 15 individual performance metrics, grouped into four pillars representing:

• Resources (30%)

Does the college have the capacity to effectively deliver teaching?

Within this pillar is:
o Finance per student (11%)
o Faculty per student (11%)
o Research papers per faculty (8%)

• Engagement (20%)

Does the college effectively engage with its students? Most of the data in this area is gathered through THE's student survey.

Within this pillar is:
o Student engagement (7%)
o Student recommendation (6%)
o Interaction with teachers and students (4%)
o Number of accredited programs (3%)

• Outcomes (40%)

Does the college generate good and appropriate outputs? Does it add value to the students who attend?

Within this pillar is:
o Graduation rate (11%)
o Value added to graduate salary (12%)
o Debt after graduation (7%)
o Academic reputation (10%)

• Environment (10%)

Is the college providing a learning environment for all students? Does it make efforts to attract a diverse student body and faculty?

Within this pillar is:
o Proportion of international students (2%)
o Student diversity (3%)
o Student inclusion (2%)
o Staff diversity (3%)

SRU scored highest in Outcomes.

Data sources include the THE U.S. Student Survey and the THE Academic Reputation Survey, along with public data from IPEDs, the College Scorecard and Federal Student Aid on areas including completion rates and graduate employment.

THE's student survey captured key milestones in a student's educational journey with their institution, covering motivation, engagement with learning, career impact and satisfaction and value. The 2020 instrument contained 12 core questions, framed by demographic questions to capture the students' background and degree status.

According to its website, the goal of the WSJ/THE college rankings is to "offer context and insight needed to help make an informed college choice. It focuses on the factors critically important to parents and students ... finding the right college can have lifelong implications."

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robb.king@sru.edu