Forbes Unveils "New Ivies": Challenging the Traditional Elite
Forbes Magazine recently released a list of ten public and ten private universities dubbed the “New Ivies.” According to Forbes, this list includes institutions that offer an education on par with the esteemed Ivy League schools (Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University).
The magazine argues that traditional Ivy League schools may no longer be the best at preparing students for success in today's workforce. In a survey of thousands of hiring managers, Forbes found that employers now seek students with diverse skills, which are not always emphasized in Ivy League curricula. Could Forbes be right? Could the Ivy League's long-standing dominance in American higher education be waning?
To create this group of so-called New Ivies, Forbes used a combination of tuition costs, financial aid availability, surveys, admission rates, and post-graduation median earnings. Schools with less than 4,000 students, military academies, institutions that do not consider test scores in admissions (like the University of California system), and schools already considered to be part of the Ivy League, such as the University of Chicago, MIT, Stanford, and Duke, were not considered for this list.
These twenty institutions are praised for “attracting high-achievers and turning out hard-working, highly regarded employees.”
The New Public Ivies:
Binghamton University (New York)
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Florida
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland – College Park
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
University of Texas – Austin
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin – Madison
The New Private Ivies:
Boston College (MA)
Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Emory University (GA)
Georgetown University (DC)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Northwestern University (IL)
Rice University (TX)
University of Notre Dame (IN)
University of Southern California (CA)
Vanderbilt University (TN)
What are we to make of this new list?
The new Forbes list reminds us that excellence in higher education is not exclusive to the Ivy League and that there are many outstanding schools that offer excellent educational opportunities. Recognizing more universities for their academic excellence helps broaden our perspective and highlights that numerous institutions provide a top-rate education.
What has not changed with this new list is the importance of individual fit in higher education. There are many factors that contribute to whether a school is the right fit beyond just prestige and academic climate. The best college for one student might not be the best for another. This understanding empowers students to make informed decisions, knowing that success can be achieved from any university across the nation, leading to fulfilling careers, financial independence, and personal happiness. While college rankings can provide valuable insights, they also have limitations. Ultimately, what truly matters is finding the right educational and personal fit for each student.