Alaska’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
What are the best colleges and universities in Alaska if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Alaska deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Alaska’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
How We Measure the Academic Stewardship of Alaska’s Colleges and Universities
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Alaska’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
- Stewardship of financial resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of financial resources, we factored in its undergraduate size, budget, endowments and reserves, as well as tuition and fees. All these data are available from the National Center for Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, we factored in a school’s financial responsibility as gauged by the Federal Student Aid Office at the US Department of Education through its financial responsibility composite scores.
- Stewardship of human resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of human resources, we used our InfluenceRanking engine to track the influence of the school’s faculty and alumni but also to control for size of the undergraduate student body. We’ve found that measuring a school’s influence based on the contributions of faculty and alumni make in their fields of study but then also controlling for size of the undergraduate population is the single best indicator of academic excellence. We call this Concentrated Influence. Schools that rank highly in Concentrated Influence are schools that, given their available human resources, invest heavily in their students and faculty, and the results are demonstrable.
- We measure the influence of colleges and universities based on the publications and citations of the schools’ faculty and alumni who are teaching in and working in areas related to their degrees. To do this, we take publicly available databases, such as Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and Wikipedia and use these to measure the influence of academics in their disciplines. Having measured the influence of persons, we then identify the schools that they’re affiliated with, adding up the influence scores of the faculty and alumni to measure the influence of the schools and their disciplinary programs. Finally, we control these influence scores by size of undergraduate student body so that schools do not score high in influence simply because of a size advantage. We lay out these methodological considerations on our methodology page.
- Academic Stewardship: Having measured a school’s stewardship of financial and human resources in the two previous points, we now divide the second measure by the first to define the Academic Stewardship metric. This metric spotlights smaller schools, with fewer financial resources and people, that invest wisely and do proportionately better in building influence than large wealthy schools. Many of these smaller, less wealthy schools are incentivized to make better use of their resources but would never get recognized in conventional school rankings, which directly or indirectly put a premium on the wealth of schools.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
Why Academic Stewardship Matters to Students and Their Families
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
- A clear reason for why students are at the school in the first place. Without the distraction of amenities and luxuries, these schools are at once unpretentious but also passionately committed to their educational mission. The schools in this ranking are financially efficient and academically rigorous. By avoiding frills, these schools take the most direct path to accomplishing their mission of educating students.
- Valuing character over prestige and self-indulgence. A school that’s a good steward of its resources doesn’t instill shame in its students over what they are missing (such as elite cuisine) but rather pride in what they have and making the most of it. These schools exhibit a culture of good stewardship, which tends to build good character in the students that attend these schools.
- Avoiding the spoiled-student syndrome. It’s easy to think that offering students endless options and opportunities will enrich their time at school in every way. But spoiling people—whether in business, sports, or academics—has the opposite effect, causing people to take their advantages for granted and in the end achieving less than they might otherwise, a point well-documented in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. Schools exhibiting academic stewardship avoid this pitfall.
- The best schools vs. the schools that help students to be their best. Students at schools demonstrating outstanding academic stewardship aren’t so much concerned about being at the “best” school, whatever that may mean, as about being at a school that helps them to be their best. These schools pay attention to their students, hoping that any glory goes to them rather than to the school. Small schools, and especially liberal arts colleges, help themselves by communicating this advantage to prospective students.
- Emphasizing development over talent and achievement. Schools like Harvard and Stanford have their pick of academic talent, and their students have a long record of achievement even before they apply to such elite schools. But if a school doesn’t have the resources of a Harvard or Stanford, how does it build a great team of students? In that case, it must focus on student development. Colleges exemplifying academic stewardship emphasize student growth and development, ensuring that the schools are doing everything in their power to help students reach their full potential and thereby become their best selves.
Alaska’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
- #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #1 Best Grad School in Alaska 2024 #1 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Alaska 2024
Other Rankings
- #21 Best Research Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees
- #1 Best Online Colleges in Alaska 2024
- #1 Best Online Associate in Small Business Management
- #1 Best Online Associate in Cybersecurity
- #1 Best Online Master's Programs in Alaska 2024
- #1 Best Online Associate in Entrepreneurship
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Alaska
- #1 Best Online MBA Programs in Alaska
- #1 Best Online Associate in Human Resources
- #1 Best Online Associate in Business Management
- #1 Best Online Associate Degrees in Alaska 2024
- #2 Best Online Associate in General Science
- #2 Best Online Associate in Paralegal Studies
- #2 Best Online Associate in Finance
- #3 Best Online Associate in Accounting
- #3 Best Online Associate in Early Childhood Education
- #3 Best Online Associate in Marketing
- #3 Best Online Bachelor’s of Homeland Security Degree Programs for 2024
- #4 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity
- #4 Best Online Associate in Information Technology
- #4 Best Online Associate in Business Management
- #5 Best Online Bachelor's of Economics Degree Programs for 2024
- #6 Best Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
- #8 Best Online Bachelor’s of History Degree Programs Ranked for 2024
- #8 Best Online Associate in Business Administration
- #9 Best Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Degree Programs for 2024
- #10 Best Online Bachelor's of Finance Degree Programs for 2024
- #11 Best Online Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies Degree Programs for 2024
- #12 Best Online Master's in Criminal Justice
- #13 Best Online Bachelor’s in Information Technology Degree Programs for 2024
- #16 Best Online Bachelor’s in Marketing and Advertising Degree Programs for 2024
- #16 Best Online Bachelor’s of Communications Degree Programs for 2024
- #19 Best Online Bachelor's in Accounting
Tuition + fees
$10K
Graduation
39%
Student body
11K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Cost of Degree: $9,612Expenses: $15,300Starting Salary: $45,100Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Alaska Fairbanks known for?
University of Alaska Fairbanks’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Political Science
- Communications
- Engineering
- Criminal Justice
- History
- Physics
- Anthropology
Most Influential Alumni
University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Online Degrees
BS in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BAAS in Interdisciplinary Studies
Degree Concentrations
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BBA in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
- Finance
- General Business
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Sport Management
- Economics
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Political Science
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Psychology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Biological Sciences
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSEM in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Degree Concentrations
- Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management
- Emergency Management
- Emergency Medical and Public Health Management
- Fire Administration
- Homeland Security
- Law Enforcement Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in History
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Communication
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BBA in Accounting
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Biological Sciences
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BAM in Applied Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Psychology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #3 Best Schools for Becoming an Air Traffic Controller in 2024 #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #2 Best Grad School in Alaska 2024 #2 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
30%
Student body
17K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Anchorage
Cost of Degree: $7,508Expenses: $21,284Starting Salary: $51,200Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Alaska Anchorage known for?
University of Alaska Anchorage’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- Economics
- Business
- Education
- Law
- History
- Medical
- Criminal Justice
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #3 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024 #3 Most Affordable Colleges in Alaska 2024 #2 Best Online Colleges in Alaska 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
25%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Southeast
Cost of Degree: $8,726Expenses: $13,678Starting Salary: $39,500Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Alaska Southeast known for?
University of Alaska Southeast’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Political Science
- Nursing
- Literature
- Criminal Justice
- Biology
- Medical
- Education
- Mathematics
- Sociology
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
University of Alaska Southeast’s Online Degrees
BA in Elementary Education
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BLA in Liberal Arts
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Special Education
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Social Science
Degree Concentrations
- Anthropology
- History
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #1 Best Christian Colleges in Alaska 2024 #4 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #4 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024 #2 Best Online MBA Programs in Alaska
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
36%
Student body
<1K
Career Outlook for degree at Alaska Pacific University
Cost of Degree: $20,760Expenses: $13,910Starting Salary: $45,300Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salary
Alaska’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest
Colleges and Universities in Alaska
The six colleges and universities in Alaska are largely located near Anchorage and Fairbanks, two of the state’s largest cities. However, the University of Alaska Southeast houses campuses in the island towns of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. Also, 2 universities in Alaska offer online degrees for students in more remote areas, or anywhere. While the tuition for Alaska’s largest universities, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, offer competitive rates of $8,000-$9,000, the University of Alaska Anchorage’s student population is nearly twice the size, with nearly 11,000 students. This state also offers two private colleges, both with religious backgrounds, in Alaska Pacific University and Alaska Bible College.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
Those hoping to truly immerse themselves in Alaska’s wilderness may want to consider attending Iḷisaġvik College, which is a tribally-owned community college located in Barrow, the northernmost point in Alaska. Many of the degrees students pursue in Alaska fall in the science and social science fields, but students also have the option to obtain on-campus or online degrees in areas like religious studies, education, and liberal arts.
Alaska’s landscape is as vast as its history. The massive glaciers, thousands of miles of coastline, our country’s highest mountain peak, and wildlife that live among the people are only some of the features that have helped earn this state its nickname, The Last Frontier. Though there are numerous online degree programs in Alaska, students aspiring to see caribou in person or witness the Northern Lights may want to get their degree on one of Alaska’s sprawling college campuses.
Fortunately, a number of colleges in Alaska offer hybrid degree options, where you can take some online courses and some courses on campus.
For students hoping for a mix of adventure and education, learn more about Alaska’s higher education institutes, degree options, online degree programs, and top career paths.
What are Alaska’s Colleges & Universities?
- 2 Graduate Schools
- 2 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 5 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 2 Online Colleges
- 2 Online Master’s Programs