Rounding Up the Rankings: Here Are the Distinctions You Need To Know About

August 21, 2024 By Jane Kelly, jak4g@virginia.edu Jane Kelly, jak4g@virginia.edu

This spring and summer have been especially ripe with college rankings and the University of Virginia has notched top scores in many of them.

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Collegiate Winner of Olympic Medals

The newest accolade highlights UVA’s performance at the Olympics. The NCAA finds the University is the No. 4 collegiate winner of medals at the Paris Games, following Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Texas, Austin. UVA won seven gold medals, five silver and two bronze.

But that’s not the only list where UVA appears near or at the top.

UVA Is a ‘New Ivy’

In June, Forbes placed UVA on a list of “New Ivies” – institutions providing the quality and prestige of an Ivy League education. The publication surveyed hiring managers and found the University is one of “10 public universities and 10 ascendant private ones turning out the smart, driven graduates craved by employers of all types.”

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This accolade is separate from a much older designation people have long given to UVA as a “public ivy,” an honorific given to public schools seen to be providing an educational experience on par with Ivy League universities.

Princeton Review: UVA No. 1 Public School for Financial Aid

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Public School for Financial Aid Four Years in a Row

The Princeton Review ranked UVA No. 1 for financial aid for the fourth year in a row in June. It also ranked UVA the No. 3 Best Value Public University and the No. 4 public School for Career Placement in its “Best Value Colleges for 2024” report of 209 schools. The University also came in as the No. 4 Best Value College for Students Who Do Not Qualify for Financial Aid on the annual ranking.

UVA Is a 4.5-Star Winner in New Money Magazine Ranking

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4.5-star rating based on quality, affordability, and outcomes

In July, the publication released its “Best Colleges of 2024” assessment, giving the University the 4.5-star rating out of a possible five stars. The publication wrote, “The University of Virginia offers in-state students a top-notch education at a reasonable price.” It considered metrics including graduation rates, financial aid, cost of tuition and alumni salaries. UVA’s 94% graduation rate is the highest of any public school in the country.

Wall Street Journal: UVA Grads Land High-Paying Jobs in Finance, Consulting and Tech

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Salaries in Finance

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Salaries in Consulting

The business publication said UVA is No. 3 for finance, No. 5 for consulting and No. 13 in technology compared to other public schools. It said UVA finance graduates can expect an average salary of $136,816 – $34,985 more than median pay in the field. UVA graduates entering the consulting industry can anticipate an average salary of $112,770, which is $14,274 more than the norm. Those joining the technology sector will see an annual salary of $136,557 – $14,465 more than the average pay.

Media Contact

Jane Kelly

University News Senior Associate Office of University Communications