LSU Emerges as Louisiana's Top Ranked University in the Wall Street Journal's 2024 Best Colleges Ranking

BATON ROUGE, LA — In the latest 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal in collaboration with College Pulse and Statista, LSU has claimed the top spot among both public and private higher education institutions in the state of Louisiana.

The Wall Street Journal's comprehensive assessment focuses on key factors, including the efficiency of student progression, impact on graduates' salary, student contentment, social mobility, and diversity. Among LSU's achievements, its graduates have tied with the University of Missouri for 4th highest impact on graduates' salary within the Southeastern Conference (SEC), surpassing flagship institutions such as the University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, University of Arkansas, University of Kentucky, and University of South Carolina on this indicator.

Since its inception in 2016, The Wall Street Journal's rankings have documented LSU's ascent, with the university surging an impressive 226 positions. Reflecting on these accomplishments, LSU President William F. Tate IV commented, "LSU provides a comprehensive education that equips our graduates to excel in today's competitive job market. Our alumni consistently achieve remarkable success and are in high demand by employers, not only in Louisiana but across the nation. If we remain dedicated to our Scholarship First agenda, LSU's positive trajectory, as evidenced by the WSJ survey, will undoubtedly persist."

 This year’s list of the top 400 universities incorporates a new methodology with emphasis on student outcomes like salary impact and graduation rates. "Critically, we now put greater emphasis on measuring the value added by colleges—not simply measuring their students’ success but focusing on the contribution the college makes to that success,” according to an article posted by the Wall Street Journal about the rankings.

 The rankings are based on a formula calculating student outcomes, the learning environment and diversity. Student outcomes are calculated through a comparative analysis of graduation rates, post-graduation salaries, and the overall cost of attendance. Learning environment is gauged by asking students through surveys about their views on quality and satisfaction of learning opportunities and facilities. Diversity is measured by combining metrics about ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, international students, and disability status of students and faculty along with survey results from students on campus.