Loyola ranks in the top 2% for ROI among universities for low-income students
A study completed by Georgetown University鈥檚 Center on Education and the Workforce, 鈥淭he Colleges Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI,鈥� ranks Loyola University Maryland in the top 2% of nearly 3,400 colleges and universities across the country for long-term return on investment.
The study, which recognizes institutions that are valuable for low-income students, calculates rankings by assigning a score that gives a weight to the percentage of low-income students who are enrolled, their graduation rates, and their long-term return on investment. According to the study, 14% of students at Loyola are Pell Grant recipients鈥攚ith a graduation rate among those students of 82%.
In addition to being ranked no. 65 out of 3,380 U.S. colleges and universities, Loyola ranks second in the State of Maryland among all private and public institutions (of 49 Maryland schools ranked in the study) and in the top 7% of private non-profit schools (No. 65 out of 960 schools) across the country.
From the study:
College typically pays off for low-income students, but not as much as it does for their peers. Low-income students, whose families earn $30,000 or less per year, comprise more than one-third of college students. The Colleges Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI finds that low-income students have a lower return on investment (ROI) than all students, largely because they tend to earn less as adults. This holds true across public and private institutions and certificates, associate鈥檚 degrees, and bachelor鈥檚 degrees. Among institutions that primarily award bachelor鈥檚 degrees, public institutions generally lead to the highest ROI for low-income students during a 40-year timeframe ($951,000), followed by private nonprofit institutions ($863,000) and for-profit colleges ($763,000).
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to be listed among the top institutions in the country for our return on investment particularly because of the intentional ways we have enhanced financial aid for our students,鈥� said Eric Nichols, vice president for enrollment management. 鈥淭his latest ranking demonstrates our continued commitment to not only make a Loyola education affordable as possible for all students, but also to provide them with the support needed to graduate and go on to success after Loyola.鈥�
For more information on the 鈥淭he Colleges Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI鈥� study and ranking methodology, visit .
This is the second study published by Georgetown University in which Loyola University Maryland is recognized nationally for value. In 2019, Georgetown University鈥檚 Center on Education and the Workforce published 鈥淎 First Try at ROI,鈥� which ranked 4,500 higher education institutions according to the net present value of future earnings at different time horizons up to 40 years after graduation. The 2019 study found Loyola among the top 2% in the nation for long-term return on investment based on the average earning potential of alumni, relatively low average student debt, and a top graduate rate (83%).
Learn more about Loyola鈥檚 recent rankings and accolades for value, affordability, academic quality, mid-career salary, and more.