What are the best colleges and universities in Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.
Nebraska’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.
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 Nebraska’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.
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.
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
42%
Student body
2K
Chadron State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/25
Nebraska Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
59%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1079/23
University of Nebraska at Kearney’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
82%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1260/26
Creighton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
49%
Student body
13K
University of Nebraska Omaha’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
66%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/25
University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
36%
Student body
2K
Peru State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1204/23
Concordia University Nebraska’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
51%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/21
Union College, Nebraska’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
60%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/21
Hastings College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
53%
Student body
3K
Wayne State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
51%
Graduation
44%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
Midland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
60%
Student body
2K
Doane University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
23%
Student body
9K
Bellevue University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
61%
Student body
1K
College of Saint Mary’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
55%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
960/19
York College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Students can choose from 29 higher learning institutions, including community colleges, technical institutes, religious colleges, and public universities. Of the 15 public campuses, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln is the largest, with over 22,000 students. Coming in under the national average, the university’s tuition rate is $9,000, and students can earn their degree in fields such as law, mathematics, communication, and sociology.
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The most affordable schools in the state are its six community colleges with tuition ranging from $3,000 to $4,000. Nebraska also has 12 religiously affiliated institutions, including those with Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Lutheran influences. At $40,000 in tuition, Creighton University is both the largest and most expensive of these schools, and it boasts a 95% employment rate after graduation.
As one of the largest corn producers in the country, it’s no wonder Nebraska’s nickname is The Cornhusker State. The state is also home to an unusual monument — Carhenge. Replicating England’s famous Stonehenge, this structure is made out of vintage American automobiles that have been painted gray and lodged into the ground. With the Great Plains, over 20,000 square miles of sand dunes, and a portion of the Badlands, Nebraska offers a unique setting for students looking to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.
Mental health, dental, and other health care professionals working in shortage areas can apply for loan repayment awards through the Nebraska Loan Repayment Program. Doctors and dentists may qualify for up to $200,000.
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