College Program Rankings: How to Actually Evaluate Programs

When most people pick a college, the heuristic goes something like this: Find the best school that offers the program you want.

It makes sense. You want to study business? Go to the highest-ranked school you can get into that has a business program. The school's reputation will carry you.

But in practice, that's not always the best approach. Sometimes it's worth flipping it — programs first, schools second.

When I was getting out of the military, I wanted to study international relations, specifically international development. I didn't end up at the most prestigious school with an IR department. I ended up at American University — because their School of International Service was one of the best programs in the country for what I actually wanted to do.

The school's overall ranking didn't matter as much as the program's reputation in my field, the faculty who specialized in development, and the pipelines into the careers I was targeting.

So what does it look like to use data to evaluate college programs — programs first, schools second? Below we walk you through how to think about this, and the tool we built to help you do it.

The Problem: School Quality ≠ Program Quality

When you look at a school's median earnings, you're seeing an average across every program — from computer science ($140K) to social work ($45K). That number tells you almost nothing about whether your program is any good.

Program quality varies far more than school quality. The gap between the best and worst program at the same school can be $80,000+. Why?

• Faculty specialization. A school can have world-class researchers in one department and a skeleton crew in another. The name on the diploma is the same; the education isn't.

• Industry connections. Some programs have decades of employer relationships — hiring pipelines, internship networks, alumni in leadership positions. Others are afterthoughts.

• Investment priorities. Schools put money where they see returns — driven by local labor markets, funder and alumni priorities, statewide initiatives, or civic investment programs. A flagship's engineering program might get state-of-the-art labs while their education program runs on adjuncts and outdated curriculum.

• Accreditation and licensing alignment. Programs in credentialed fields (nursing, accounting, teaching) have to meet external standards. That forces a baseline of quality that non-credentialed programs don't have.

And here's what most people miss: regional publics often dominate in specific fields — especially healthcare, criminal justice, and education — because they're built around local labor markets, not national prestige. SIU-Carbondale, for example, has two #1-ranked programs nationally (Security/Protective Services at $104K median earnings, and Agricultural Teacher Education). Not UIUC. Not Northwestern. SIU.

The Three Questions

Before you commit to a program, ask:

1. What matters most to you?

Before you can evaluate programs, you need to know what you're optimizing for.

What metric? - Earnings — if you're entering the workforce directly - Debt load — if you're cost-conscious or funding it yourself - Grad school placement — if this is a stepping stone, not a destination

What geography? - National reach — you want the world to be your oyster, maximum optionality - State-specific — you're staying close to home, so only programs in your state matter - Regional — you know you want to end up in California, or the South, or the Midwest

These change the lens entirely. A #1 national program doesn't help if you're staying in Illinois and they have no local employer relationships. A regional powerhouse doesn't help if you want to work in New York.

Know your lens before you rank.

2. How do rankings change based on your lens?

Here's where it gets concrete. Same field, same state — completely different #1 programs depending on what you're optimizing for.

Understanding Affordability Tiers

Before we look at the tables, a quick explanation: Affordability Tier measures what percentage of your discretionary income goes to loan payments. Discretionary income is what's left after basic necessities — we use the same formula federal loan programs use for income-driven repayment.

This is calculated using our Financial GPS methodology — it's how we answer "Can this family actually afford this program?" rather than just "What does it cost?"

Illinois Nursing Programs — Four Ways to Rank Them

Ranked by Earnings:

Ranked by Affordability:

💡 Don't guess your tier. Run the Financial GPS to see exactly which affordability tier applies to your family income.

Ranked by Lowest Family Debt:

Ranked by Scale (Graduates/Year):

What jumps out:

• Governors State dominates earnings, affordability, and family debt — but graduates only 42 nurses/year

• Loyola is #1 in scale but doesn't crack the top 5 in any other category

• UIC appears in 3 of 4 tables — the all-around solid choice

• SIU-Edwardsville graduates nearly as many nurses as Loyola at lower debt — the regional public value play

The "best" nursing program depends entirely on what you're optimizing for. If you want employer pipelines and proven job placement, scale matters. If you're funding it yourself, affordability matters. If you just want the highest paycheck, Governors State wins — but can you get in?

3. Does your field even allow for mistakes?

Here's something most people don't think about: in some fields, every option is fine. In others, only one school delivers affordable outcomes.

Mechanical Engineering in Illinois:

All 8 mechanical engineering programs in Illinois are "Excellent" tier. High earnings make debt manageable regardless of which school you choose. You can pick based on fit, campus culture, or proximity — affordability isn't a differentiator.

Psychology in Illinois — A Different Story:

Tier distribution for Psychology: - Excellent: 1 program (Northwestern) - Good: 5 programs - Manageable: 23 programs - High Burden: 8 programs - Challenging: 4 programs

Only Northwestern delivers "Excellent" affordability in Psychology. The field's lower earnings mean debt hits harder. Most programs are "Manageable" at best — meaning you'll likely need income-driven repayment plans.

But here's the critical question: Is psychology your terminal degree or your pathway?

If you're planning to enter the workforce directly with a bachelor's in psychology (~71% of graduates do), these affordability numbers matter a lot. A $45K salary with "Manageable" debt burden is a tough financial position.

But if psychology is your pathway to becoming a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or researcher — different story. You're not optimizing for Year 1 earnings; you're optimizing for grad school acceptance rates and program reputation in your target field. The 29% who continue to graduate programs have very different outcomes.

Compare apples to apples. Know which track you're on before you evaluate.

The insight: In high-earning fields like engineering, you have room to optimize for fit. In lower-earning fields like psychology, affordability must be part of your calculus — unless you're using it as a stepping stone to something else.

4. How big is the pipeline?

Scale matters more than people realize — but it's not everything.

A program graduating 500 students per year has different employer relationships than one graduating 20. Large programs build hiring pipelines — employers know the curriculum, trust the preparation, and come back year after year.

The scale advantage:

SIU-Edwardsville Nursing is the only non-flagship program in the top 10 for economic impact. They graduate 485 nurses per year at $68K median earnings. That's a massive healthcare pipeline — and those graduates walk into jobs because hospitals in the region expect SIU-E nurses.

The flip side: Some students thrive in smaller programs. More faculty attention, tighter cohorts, less competition for research opportunities. If you're someone who gets lost in large lecture halls, a program graduating 50 students might serve you better than one graduating 500 — even if the larger program has better employer connections. Consider your learning style, not just the pipeline.

The Important Caveat: Terminal vs. Pathway Programs

Not all programs should be evaluated on earnings. Some are designed as pathways to graduate school, not direct workforce entry.

Terminal programs (evaluate on earnings): - Business (~11% go to grad school) - Nursing (direct workforce entry) - Engineering (most work immediately) - Criminal Justice (direct employment)

Pathway programs (evaluate on grad school rate): - Psychology (~29% continue to grad school) - Biology (30% avg, but pre-med feeders hit 70-90%) - Philosophy (law school feeder) - Pre-med concentrations

Why this matters:

A biology program with 91% graduate school continuation looks terrible in earnings rankings — because almost no one enters the workforce immediately. But that's the point. It's a pipeline to medical school, not a terminal credential.

If you're pre-med, you want the program with the highest med school acceptance rate, not the highest Year 1 earnings.

🎯 The Framework: Terminal vs. Pathway

Program Type	Primary Metric	Secondary Metric
Terminal	Earnings, Affordability Tier	Employment rate, Scale
Pathway	Grad school rate, Acceptance rates	Program reputation in target field
Hybrid	Both — know your path first	—

Know your type before you evaluate. If you're in a pathway program, earnings rankings are the wrong metric.

Why Regional Publics Win in Certain Fields

Regional publics dominate in fields that are:

1. Locally licensed — Nursing, teaching, criminal justice require state credentials. Programs build relationships with licensing boards, clinical sites, and local employers.

2. Practice-focused — They train practitioners, not researchers. Curriculum is designed around what you'll actually do.

3. Employer-connected — Decades of graduates create hiring pipelines. The HR director is often an alum.

Prestige schools optimize for: - Research output - Graduate school placement
- National/global recruiting

Different goals → different outcomes by field.

If you want to be a nurse in Illinois, SIU-Edwardsville's pipeline might serve you better than a program with more prestige but fewer regional connections. If you want to work in law enforcement, SIU-Carbondale's #1-ranked Security program at $104K median earnings is hard to beat. (See our full Illinois college rankings.)

What This Doesn't Mean

Let me be clear about what I'm not saying:

"Prestige doesn't matter." It does — for some paths. If you want to work at McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, or in academia, brand matters. Recruiting pipelines at elite schools are real.

"Always pick the regional public." Match your goals to the program's strengths. If you want a research career, the flagship's research infrastructure matters. If you want a clinical career, the regional's employer relationships matter.

"Earnings are everything." That's why we use affordability tiers, not just raw earnings. A $50K salary with 5% payment burden is more comfortable than $70K with 15% burden. Some fields — teaching, social work, public service — have lower earnings by design. That doesn't make them bad programs. It means you need to look at the full picture: earnings, debt, and what percentage of your discretionary income goes to loan payments.

"Ignore institutional resources." A well-funded program can provide better facilities, more faculty attention, and better career services. Resources matter — but they don't automatically translate to outcomes.

How to Look This Up

Everything I've shown you? You can look it up yourself.

The data comes from College Scorecard — the same federal source most rankings use. Our aim is to make it digestible and intentional: start with the question you're actually asking ("What's the best nursing program?"), not the question traditional rankings answer ("What's the best school?").

At collegeazimuth.com/programs, you can: - Search by field (Nursing, Computer Science, Accounting) - See programs ranked by earnings, debt, and economic mobility - Filter by state if you're staying local - View affordability tiers — we classify each program as Excellent, Good, Manageable, or Challenging based on payment burden

The three numbers that matter: 1. Program earnings (not school-wide median) 2. Program debt — and the affordability tier that puts it in context 3. Grad school rate (especially for fields like biology, psychology, pre-med)

We're trying to make this data more useful. If you have ideas for how we can do better, email us: info@collegeazimuth.com

The Bottom Line

The "best school you can get into" might have the wrong program for you.

SIU-Carbondale isn't on anyone's prestige list. But if you want to work in law enforcement or security, their #1-ranked program with $104K median earnings is hard to argue with.

UIUC CS isn't Stanford. But with a 3.11x earnings-to-debt ratio and 291 graduates per year, the value proposition is exceptional.

The framework: 1. What matters to you? — Earnings, affordability, or grad school placement? 2. Affordability tier — Is the payment burden Excellent, Good, or Concerning? 3. Scale — Does the program have employer pipelines? 4. Type — Is this terminal or pathway? Use the right metric.

The data is available. The surprises are real. Make your own call.

Data sources: College Scorecard 2024, IPEDS Program Completers. Value-added methodology available at collegeazimuth.com/methodology.