Posted on 12/03/2019 9:21:25 AM PST by SeekAndFind
When you’re thinking about attending college there are several things that you should take into consideration. Finding the best college for you depends upon your unique needs. The cost, the quality of the education, reputation of the college and percentage of graduates who find jobs are a few items to factor in. There are some colleges that you should stay away from, even if they’re more affordable or nearer by where you live. What makes a college a bad choice? Even though we all have our own opinions on the matter, some things to check out are the average student debt, the return on investment over 20 years, the graduation rate, the median starting income, the annual cost and the overall ranking of the institution. Cheat Sheet from and The Washington Monthly includes more colleges which fail to measure up and we’ve also included colleges that inhibit free speech from The Advocate. Here are the 20 worst colleges in America based upon the information we’ve gathered from these analyses.
The University of Montevallo was founded in 1896, in Montevallo, Alabama as a public university. The undergraduate enrollment is just under 2,400. The graduation rate is 47 percent which is less than half of all students who enroll. Those who graduate average debt of $25,484 with a median starting income of $38,300, an annual cost of $22,000 for in-state and $35,000 for out of state students. The return on investment is a low $20,200.
The University of South Carolina, Aiken was founded in 1961. It’s a relatively new public institution with an undergraduate population of just under 3,400. The graduation rate is 41 percent and the median starting income for graduates is $41,000 with an annual cost of $18,500. It ranks number 1178 out of a collection of 1779. Students complain about the fact that there’s not much to do in the community, which consists mostly of retired people and the community is fairly closed off, cutting down on activities, recreation, and opportunities to network for finding a good job in the area upon graduation.
This college made it to the list of the worst colleges in America because of their poorly written policies which have been used by the administration to quell free speech. When controversies come to light, the administration has gone so far as to claim “eminent domain” to prevent students from passing out buttons or flyers on campus sidewalks. You can’t even hand out a flier on the property without gaining prior authorization. The claim of eminent domain is invalid as it deals with the government’s ability to claim property, and it’s embarrassing that they would use the claim when it has nothing to do with the banned activities. They have also punished students who talk to the media about their backward policies. This is a college to stay away from until they get their act together.
Florida Memorial University was founded in 1879 in Miami, Florida as a private school. The undergraduate population is just under 1,700. Students pay an average of $22,270 per year to attend and amass an average student debt of $30,160 upon graduation. The median starting income for graduates who secure employment is $36,600 but the graduation rate is just 38 percent.
Grambling State University was established in 1901 in Grambling, Louisiana as a public institution. The undergraduate population is just over 4,000. The annual cost of attendance is $17,489 and students who graduate average debt of $25,732. The median starting income for students who secure employment upon graduation is $43,800, but the graduation rate is just 35 percent.
Columbia College Hollywood is a private school located in Los Angeles, California. The College Scoreboard ranks them as one of the worst schools in America because their graduation rate is a low 35 percent, and the average tuition costs run $10,000 above the average. Students amass a larger debt upon graduation and the loan default rate is higher. This is a film school and the high default rates indicate that students who graduate are not able to secure stable and gainful employment. Other sources show Columbia College Hollywood has more affordable tuition and better default rates than the average American college or university in 2019. Based on these facts, Columbia College Hollywood may be removed from this list next year.
This school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. They have a twenty-eight percent graduation rate, and students who do graduate amass a debt of $22,500 The student loan default rate is high for this school. This serves as an indication that those who graduate are not able to make enough money to repay their educational loans.
California State University Los Angeles campus also ranked among our worst colleges in American for 2019, because of the limitations that it places on free speech. The administration has actually imposed a tax on controversial speech. They made the news when they mishandled a speaking engagement featuring Ben Shapiro, a conservative when they offset the cost for security at the event on their students and requested a panel which was composed of opposing speakers.
Black Hills State University has an undergraduate population of 4,000 students. They were listed as the twelfth worst school in the nation because of their negative return on investment figure of -$24,000. The total cost of attendance for a bachelor’s degree is $72,400 and students amass a loan debt of $25,400 on average. It’s obvious that graduates are not making enough money upon graduation to justify attendance at this university.
If you’re interested in a degree in Philosophy, this is the place to go because it ranks high in this discipline. The problem is that there isn’t much call for candidates with this degree in the business world. It’s a private religious institution, and students who graduate with a degree from Nazarene Bible College must fight for the few teaching jobs for college instructors in the field of Philosophy, and many of these positions are offered to part-time adjunct professors who don’t qualify for full-time compensation and benefits. Only ten percent of the faculty at this college are working full-time, and RateMyProfessor gives the school a 0.0 for faculty ratings.
Mt. Sierra College in California has been ranked as one of the worst colleges in America for 2019 because of its low graduation rates. The school was established in 1990, so it hasn’t been around for very long. They do offer a variety of college courses in business and technology, but students just aren’t hanging around to complete their degrees. The cost is around $16,000 per year, and the reputation of the college suffers from its graduation rate of a pitiful 6.2 percent, which makes employers hesitant to respect the degrees, and they’re likely to pass over graduates in favor of those who have their degrees from other colleges and universities.
This is the sister institution of the Los Angeles Cal State U. They made our worst colleges in America list because of tehir refusal to allow artistic expression when the mention of race is involved. Students who want to make a statement against racism are not allowed to do so. Students who were of a minority group were forced to close a play that made fun of the racial stereotyping that happens in society. This college is big on shutting down free speech.
Georgetown University is another institution that has made it to our worst colleges in America list for shutting down student rights to free speech. This has little or nothing to do with their academic prowess nor success post graduation of their students. This is because they stopped students for campaigning for Bernie Sanders when he was a presidential candidate. The college claimed that the reason for his was their tax-exempt status, and they’re reputed for ignoring their own free speech policies. They haven’t offered a solution to this problem, so they’re staying on the list until they can figure it out.
Stratford University is located in Fairfax, Virginia. There are many students who attend this university on a part-time basis. This makes it difficult to get a true assessment of its scores, but it’s been ranked as being a school with a 30 percent graduation rate. students who graduate from Stratford University usually take a lot longer to do so and they amass a greater debt in the process. The longer it takes to earn a degree, the lower the likelihood of graduation.
This university is located in Washington, DC in the urban district. It’s a public institution founded in 1976 with an undergraduate population of just under 3,900. The graduation rate is only 32 percent with an annual cost of $23,000 for in-state students and $29,600 for out of state. There is no data available on the return of investment, but students average debt of $22,120.Students who were surveyed about the quality of the school indicated that if you have somewhere else that you can go for college, you probably should.
Shaw University was founded as a private institution in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1865. They’re a smaller school with just over 1,500 undergraduates. What makes them one of the worst colleges in America for 2019 is the graduation rate of just 23 percent. Students leave with an average debt of $28,000 with an annual cost for attendance at $24,638. the median starting income for graduates is $36,900 per year. Shaw is ranked at a horribly low number 1774 out of 1779 colleges in America, making it one of the top six worst choices.
Located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, this public institution is a smaller college with an enrollment of just under 5,400 students at the undergraduate level. The average graduation rate is a low 33 percent. The median starting income for those who gain employment after graduation is $38,000. The annual cost is around $13,000 with an ROI of just $29,500 over 20 years.
Lindsey Wilson College was founded in Columbia, Kentucky in 1903 as a private institution with United Method Church affiliation. The undergraduate population is just under 2,600. The average cost of attendance is $34,235 with a median starting income for graduates of $38,500, and an average student debt of $21,000. The graduation rate is only 31 percent.
Morris College was founded in Sumter, South Carolina in 1908, affiliated with the Baptist Church. The undergraduate enrollment is 1,200 and the school is outdated in its use of technology. The annual cost of attendance is just under $20,000 and students leave the school with an average debt of $26,000. The Median starting income is $32,300 but the graduation rate is only 29 percent.
DeVry University is located in Illinois, and we’ve included it as the worst college in America for 2019 because of the fact that only 29 percent of students who enroll actually graduate. The average debt for those who do graduate is $43,000. The school has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission because the information they provide to students about the likelihood of obtaining a job in their field after they graduate from the university is misleading. The borrowing rates are too high and the graduation rates are too low. Making empty promises to students without facts to base the claims upon can get you into trouble in the legal system and it’s best to avoid a school that is under investigation or involved in a lawsuit because if you do graduate, the degree is not likely to receive much credence from potential employers.
Strong showing for the Carolinas.
Yeah, I was not surprised to see the two Raleigh crap holes and the one from Fayette-nam on the list.
You can change the world as an engineer.
Mississippi Valley State University should have been on this list.
They have a 29.8% graduation rate. I've actually been there, and I'm surprised that the graduation rate is even that high.
I’ll cast my vote for Campbellsville University in Kentucky, which rubber stamps thousands of F1 OPT work visas for foreign nationals every year.
Even if they attend class online from some other city.
So....they need student visas WHY, exactly?
This appears to be a quickly thrown together list with incredibly limited criteria that do little to access the actual quality of the education received. Then they throw in a few schools that squelched free speech as red meat to get attention from conservatives. Note the source is not "Money", who is well known for their college lists, but "Money INC", a knockoff site.
I notice that most of the schools have a graduation debt of between 20 and 30 thousand. Assuming full time students are taking out loans that’s about 7500 per year or 3750 per semester.
That's because a large number of students graduate with zero debt, because they or their parents actually saved for college, or they got a full ride scholarship. Many others have some level of aid that reduces their need to borrow.
True!
However as a “fill-in-the-blank” studies major you get to annoy the world!
the three nc schools are all formerly black schools
#7 Stratford looks like a car dealership.
I was on campus for the Citadel game this yr, thinking that would be a game we would likely win..well everyone makes mistakes...and was amazed to see how different the student body was in some respects (much more diverse for better or worse) but everyone still had the typical tech dazed look on their face as they were walking to class.
We never had time to worry about being politically active I never remember having any free time and if I appeared to have free time it was because I forgot to do something...
Of these twenty schools, I have only heard of four of these institutions.
made it to our worst colleges in America list for shutting down student rights to free speech. But only because it was Bernie. The 100s of colleges that prevent speech from conservative speakers are ok by the list makers.
It sure does. Looks like a GM Dealership.
Several Years ago RPI was listed as one of the new Ivy schools. I call BS on this list.
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