Survey Ranks Local College Second In The Country For Social Mobility
GLASSBORO, NJ (CBS) – A survey ranked South Jersey's own Rowan University second in the country for social mobility.
What does that mean exactly? A Social Mobility Index (SMI) measured how well schools prepared students to earn decent salaries within five years of graduation, according to Rowan.
The study used five criteria to determine a school's social mobility score: tuition, percentage of low-income students, graduation rate, median early career salary and the size of the school's endowment.
The survey, released by CollegeNet and PayScale, compared more than 530 colleges and universities. It also relied on third-party information rather than data reported by the schools being compared.
Montana Tech of the University of Montana topped the list for social mobility. Rowan University came in second and Rutgers-New Brunswick landed at number 33. Not too shabby considering Harvard was ranked 438.
Rowan University President Dr. Ali Houshmand says, "Clearly, the ability to prepare students to be upwardly mobile, especially students from disadvantaged economic backgrounds, is a very important benchmark and a longstanding part of our mission."
According to Rowan, Houshmand promised to cap any undergraduate tuition increase at or below the rate of inflation and is working with the University's Board of Trustees and other partners to expand educational and economic opportunities.
The SMI considered low-income students as any family who earns less than the U.S. median household income, reported by the Census as $53,046.
To view the full survey, click here.
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