It’s an anxiety-ridden decision for millions of students each year: how to compare the quality of the colleges they’re considering so they can ensure a pay off from what will likely turn out to be the largest investment of their lifetime. While a plethora of college rankings serve as a crude proxy for quality among thousands of colleges in the U.S., most students don’t attend the brand-name institutions that tend to top the rankings. In reality, students are often limited by finances, academics, or family and job obligations and have just a few choices about where to go. According to a recent study by the American Council on Education, the average freshman at a public university attends a campus that is within 100 miles of home.

July 8, 2016 ・ From The Washington Post