CollegeNET has ranked Arkansas Tech University No. 1 in its state and among the top 10 percent of institutions in the United States in terms of providing its students with an opportunity to improve their economic standing.
The 2015 CollegeNET Social Mobility Index (SMI) looks at the economic background of a university’s student body and compares it to the institution’s tuition rate, graduation rate and endowment as well as the early career salary for its young alumni.
Based upon those criteria, the study found that Arkansas Tech provides the greatest opportunity for socioeconomic advancement to its students of any college or university in Arkansas.
Arkansas Tech ranks No. 90 nationally in the survey. No other university in the state made the top 250.
“The new SMI rankings show that through wise policy-making, colleges and universities can be part of improving both economic opportunity and social stability in our country,” wrote CollegeNET in its explanation of the rankings. “Let’s recast the chase for ‘prestige’ to include lowering tuition, recruiting more economically disadvantaged students and ensuring that enrolled students graduate into good paying jobs.”
