UF is among the best universities in the nation for post-graduation payoff.
The university is ranked No. 3 in a recent study that measured the return on tuition investment of 50 U.S. universities.
Surveyed schools, including Yale University and Harvard University, were ranked based on their calculated return, called the Payback Score, in a 2011 SmartMoney magazine list.
Georgia Institute of Technology ranked No. 1, and University of Texas, Austin, ranked No. 2.
“It’s not surprising,” said Heather White, director of the UF Career Resource Center. “It’s confirming what is already known: UF students are successful.”
With the help of PayScale, a Seattle-based compensation data company, SmartMoney determined the rankings by focusing on recent college graduates who had been out of school for an average of two years and mid-career alumni who had been out of school for an average of 15 years.
The company used the data to figure out whether the money the graduates spent for college was paying off, according to an article published in “Colleges That Help Grads Get Top Salaries” magazine.
The median salary in each group was divided by tuition and fees, averaged and converted into the Payback ratio, the article stated. The survey used the tuition rates that the graduates paid at the time they were in college.
However, according to the SmartMoney magazine article, the score excludes certain factors that could increase the value of an education and does not take into account increases in financial aid.
Linguistics junior Ariel Marin, 21, said UF is a great value, especially because of Bright Futures.
“I have so many friends that are putting themselves into ridiculous amounts of debt,” she said. “Speaking from my perspective, I didn’t have to pay for my undergrad, so it’s really amazing that I’ll be graduating in such a great position.”
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the low cost of tuition played a role in how UF was ranked.
He said tuition is about $5,700 a year for a full-time in-state undergraduate student. He said the national average tuition is $8,200 a year.
“You are graduating with much less debt at a cost of attendance that is low in comparison, and you are getting an excellent education in the bargain,” he said.
