College/School/university – the words are used interchangeably. College years can be some of a young adult’s best years. Whether you pledge a fraternity or sorority or are there to get that sought-after qualification, college is the gateway to life.
The US has more higher learning institutions than any other country in the world. They offer top-notch programs taught by highly-educated staff – mostly. But some states are home to pretty poor-quality colleges that don’t measure up.
Own Your Future recently ranked the worst colleges based on criteria such as acceptance rate, debt load, graduation rate, and college profile. Let’s look at 11 states with the worst colleges in America – the best of the worst.
1. Wyoming
First up is the state of Wyoming, home to Wyoming Laramie County Community College. While it’s considered to be an “above-average” college with a 100% acceptance rate, tailored to professions such as Licensed Practical Nurse Training (LPN), welding, and nursing, it has a poor reputation. There is a low graduation rate among its students and a low post-graduation employment rate.
2. Vermont
Next is the state of Vermont, home to Johnson State College – a public liberal arts college. While it’s a notable institution for theater, music, dance, media arts, art history, and studio arts, the college has downsides. Unfortunately, high loan amounts and low graduation rates are the elephant in the Johnson State College room.
3. Alaska
Next is the state of Alaska, home to the University of Alaska Anchorage. With a range of majors ranging from Engineering, Psychology, and Social Sciences to Management, Marketing, and Business, the university has an acceptance rate of 80%. While the university has great potential, it is more in favor of politics and financial gain than the well-being of its students.
4. North Dakota
Now, onto the state of North Dakota, home to Mayville State University. The university is public and a part of the North Dakota University System, with an acceptance rate of 61%. However, the university has a low graduation rate, and students tend to carry high loan debt after graduating.
5. South Dakota
Moving on to North Dakota’s neighbor, we come to the state of South Dakota, home to Black Hills State University. The institution is a public university with a high acceptance rate of more than 97%. There are several downsides to the university, however. The first is that it’s pretty expensive in relation to other similar institutions. Coupled with low graduation rates and high loan debts, the university is lacking.
6. Delaware
We now head over to the state of Delaware, home to the private liberal arts college in Dover, Wesley College. Off the bat, the college has its downsides. The first being that it is a lot more expensive than other colleges in the state. As a result, most students graduate in debt, which isn’t a good start in life. Lastly, it has a low graduation rate – a cherry on the somewhat poorly made cake.
7. Rhode Island
Now, onto the state of Rhode Island, and the second oldest institution of higher education behind Brown University, Rhode Island College. With an acceptance rate of around 73%, the public college ranks about midway out of 178 Regional Universities North. However, students often carry high loan debts after graduating, and together with traditionally low starting salaries, they don’t get off to the best start in their working life.
8. Montana
Next up is the state of Montana, home to Montana State University Billings, the third largest university in the state. The public university has a 100% acceptance rate, offering programs in Agriculture, Business, Arts and Architecture, Education, and Engineering, amongst others. However, the university comes with some downsides – low graduation rates and low annual salary plus high loan debt post-graduation.
9. Maine
We now move over to the state of Maine, home to the University of Maine at Augusta. While the university seems to be in touch with the modern working world, offering high-quality, career-focused degree programs, it comes with its downsides. A low graduation rate coupled with high student loan debt and low starting salaries doesn’t bode well for the students of the University of Maine at Augusta.
10. New Hampshire
Rounding off the top 10 is the state of New Hampshire, home to New England College. The private liberal arts college has a 100% acceptance rate but ranks rather poorly in the Regional Universities North. The college has its downsides by being rather pricey, with low future starting salaries and high post-graduation student debt.
11. Hawaii
Hawaii is the final state on the list, home to Chaminade University of Honolulu. The private Marianist university has an acceptance rate of 91%, offering bachelor’s degrees in 23 fields of study. The downside is that the university is quite expensive, and as a result, most students graduate with high loan debts.
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Source: Own Your Own Future
Andrew Herrig is a finance expert and money nerd and the founder of Wealthy Nickel, where he writes about personal finance, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. As an avid real estate investor and owner of multiple businesses, he has a passion for helping others build wealth and shares his own family’s journey on his blog.
Andrew holds a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked as a financial analyst and accountant in many aspects of the financial world.
Andrew’s expert financial advice has been featured on CNBC, Entrepreneur, Fox News, GOBankingRates, MSN, and more.
