University of the Pacific is being recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation.
Money, the personal finance website, and SoFi, a digital financial service, teamed up to release the 10th edition of the Best Colleges in America list.
The yearly list uses a unique rating system which analyzes flagship colleges that have above-average graduation rates under three key factors: quality of education, affordability, and student outcomes.
Pacific is one of 745 schools that made the cut for the 2024-2025 list and boasts a 4.5 star rating.
"University of the Pacific looks like a typical college campus — or at least the way Hollywood thinks a typical college campus should look. At least 21 movies have been made on the campus and in Stockton since the 1940s, thanks to Pacific’s classic good looks and California location. But don’t be fooled by the Hollywood glitz — the school’s academic credentials are very real," the report stated.
The report highlighted Pacific's small class sizes — the average class has 24 students — and its graduation rate of 70%. Pacific students typically take 4.4 years to complete their degrees, according to the report.
The report also found that Pacific’s estimated average cost after financial aid is $29,800, with the average price for low-income students totaling $18,400. Ninety-eight percent of students receive need-based grants.
Graduates from Pacific tend to have strong outcomes, the report said. About 82% earn more than high school graduates, a higher-than-usual percentage. The average post median early-career earnings for Pacific graduates is around $80,000.
“The value of a Pacific education is in the small, immersive learning environments and powerful connections forged between our talented students and inspiring faculty,” Pacific President Christopher Callahan said. “Our professors are squarely focused every day on the success of our students, and that results in graduates who have the deep knowledge, practical experiences and critical thinking skills to succeed in their chosen professions and in life.”
Other colleges highlighted in the 2024 report
Colleges that received a five-star rating in Money's 2024 listare as follows:
- Amherst College
- Babson College
- Bentley University
- Berea College
- Boston College
- Bowdoin College
- Brown University
- California Institute of Technology
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- California State University, Long Beach
- California State University, Stanislaus
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Claremont McKenna College
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College
- Dartmouth College
- Davidson College
- Duke University
- Georgetown University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Harvey Mudd College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Northwestern University
- Pomona College
- Princeton University
- Rice University
- Stanford University
- Swarthmore College
- The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Irvine
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, San Diego
- University of Chicago
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Michigan
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pennsylvania
- Virginia Military Institute
- Washington and Lee University
- Washington University in St Louis
- Wellesley College
- Wesleyan University
- Williams College
- Yale University
For Money's complete list of the best colleges, click here.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
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