Georgia Southern’s most recent achievement lands them on the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best U.S. Colleges List.
Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero reiterates that he is not surprised by this achievement. “It’s an expectation. We believe we should be there for what we’re doing and how we’re investing in our students and our students’ outcomes,” Marrero said.
What Does the WSJ Ranking Measure?
According to The Wall Street Journal, it uses a statistical approach to score colleges based on student outcomes (70%), the learning environment (20%), and diversity(10%). In collaboration with College Pulse, an anonymous survey gathered the opinions of both undergraduate and alumni. The WSJ focused rankings based on the value of college rather than prestige.
Georgia Southern ranked 347 out of 500 U.S colleges on the Best Colleges List. Marrero attributes the ranking to Georgia Southern’s efforts towards career readiness outside the classroom, from internships to campus opportunities.
“It readies them to engage post-graduation into a career, and I think that’s what’s being recognized here,” Marrero said..
Georgia Southern graduates with a bachelor’s degree earn $1.4 million more throughout their lifetime than somebody without, according to Marrero.
Georgia Southern is the third cheapest in the University System of Georgia. “When you think of cost evaluation to outcome, that’s a lot of the reason that we are on that list, and we’re proud of that,” Marrero said.
Future Goals
“In the next four years, we want to be the next Carnegie R1 institution in the state of Georgia,” Marrero said. As Georgia Southern continues to expand as a University, current students, alumni, and prospective students will benefit with this reputation.
“That’s [reputation] going to increase and elevate in terms of the type of institution we’re considered because of the product of our graduates, our faculty, and the work that we do,” he said. “So setting that degree becomes even more valuable because of the stature and recognition of the institution.”
The Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges list can increase visibility for prospective students and showcase alumni to potential employers.
Find Georgia Southern on the Best U.S. Colleges List here.
