A dozen of CT's colleges were ranked top in the country. Which ones made the cut?

A new analysis by the news website Money.com puts a dozen of Connecticut's four-year colleges and universities in its "best college" designation.

While it is not surprising that Ivy League Yale University took home the highest rating with five stars, Middletown's Wesleyan University was also awarded five stars. The five-star rating was only awarded to 54 colleges and universities nationwide. The one- to five-star ratings put three other Connecticut institutions right behind Yale and Wesleyan, with 4.5 stars, and two received four-star ratings.

The remainder of the ranked institutions received 3.5 stars or fewer.

The best schools, ordered by rankings

Wesleyan and Yale University topped the list in Connecticut with a score of five stars, the maximum score.

Fairfield University , Trinity College and UCONN were all tied, with 4.5 stars.

Connecticut College and Quinnipiac University tied with four stars each.

Central Connecticut State University was awarded 3.5 stars.

Eastern Connecticut State University and Sacred Heart University tied with three stars.

Albertus Magnus College had the lowest score in the state of the schools that were ranked, with 2.5 stars.

How were the 'best' colleges picked?

The Money list isn't a "best of," but rather a ranking of 745 colleges that met some basic criteria (listed below). Colleges were then given a rating of two to five stars.

• The report considered 2,400 four-year colleges and universities, public and private.
• Twenty of Connecticut's four-year colleges did not make the list.

Those 745 schools were picked after they met these criteria:

• Having at least 500 undergraduate students or 150 freshmen
• "Sufficient, reliable data to be analyzed"
• Not being in financial distress
• Having a graduation rate "at or above the median for its institutional category" or score in the top 25% of graduation rates

Some of the data points below conflict with each other. Two federal sources, the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and the National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator , offered some differing graduation rates and net costs of attending. In some instances, Money's report also provided a differing set of figures.

Here's what Money.com had to say about Connecticut's highest ranked schools (four stars and above):

Connecticut College

New London's Connecticut College received a four-star rating. Institutions with a rating of four stars and below were not individually profiled in the Money report.

• Connecticut College's graduation rate is 83% (U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard ) or 84% ( National Center for Education Statistics ).
• Median earnings were $75,001.
• The average annual cost (after scholarships and financial aid are accounted for) was $32,664 (Scorecard) or $42,941 ( National Center for Education Statistics ).
• Undergraduate enrollment is 1950

Fairfield University

Fairfield University, with 4.5 stars, was lauded by the Money report for its student outcomes, noting that 98% of graduates had concrete plans within six months of graduation.

• Recent Fairfield graduates make more money than their peers from similar schools. Median earnings were $88,974 per the Scorecard.
• The graduation rate was either 81% or 84% .
• 95% of all students receive some form of financial aid.
• The cost was $45,701 (Scorecard) or $47,630 (NCES)
• Student population: 4,760

Quinnipiac University

Hamden's Quinnipiac University is one of Connecticut's four-star rated schools. While its tuition is higher than some other schools, 98% of students receive need based grants, and 100% of the students receive some form of grant. Graduates' median earnings are more than $30,000 higher than the midpoint for four year colleges.

More about Quinnipiac:

• The graduation rate is 77%.
• Median earnings were $83,759
• The average annual cost was $39,700.
• Student population: 6,070

Trinity College

Trinity College , in Hartford, received a callout in the Money report for its low student-faculty ratio (9-1), a better than average graduation rate and its club athletics program, which includes equestrian, skiing and rock climbing. The college received 4.5 stars in the 2024 analysis.

• Trinity College's graduation rate is 83% .
• Median earnings were $90,779 .
• The average annual cost was $37,118 or $31,806.
• Student population: 2,170.

University of Connecticut

With 4.5 stars, Money reports that UCONN is consistently ranked among the Northeast's best schools, with more than 100 majors and a wide variety of extracurricular activities. There was also a shoutout to the Huskies' athletic events, which are a big draw for students, especially the men's and women's basketball teams.

• The graduation rate is 84%.
• Median earnings were $73,997.
• The average annual cost was $23,512 or $22,324.
• Student population: 18,980.

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is one of Connecticut's two five-star institutions. A highly selective school that admits only about 15% of applicants, it is considered one of the historic "Little Three," a trio of prestigious liberal arts schools in New England, along with Amherst and Williams Colleges in Massachusetts.

The university is also lauded for its elimination of student loans in its financial aid package, its student-run farm and for its famous graduates, which include: playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Michael Bay and actress Beanie Feldstein.

• Wesleyan's graduation rate is 92%.
• Median earnings were $73,897 .
• The average annual cost was $28,430 or $20,463 .
• Student population: 3,070

Yale University

Last alphabetically, but certainly not least, Yale University is Connecticut's other five star institution. Money's profile on the university highlights its professors, including: Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus and theoretical astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan, who appeared in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2024. Money also noted that while Yale is both highly selective and expensive, the school is generous with its financial aid, to the point where the median total debt for undergraduate borrowers who completed their degrees was less than $13,000.

• The graduation rate was 98% (Scorecard) or 96% ( National Center for Education Statistics ).
• The average annual cost is either $18,535 or $26,044
• The median earnings were $100,533.
• Student population: 6,650

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: A dozen of CT's colleges were ranked top in the country. Which ones made the cut?