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Worst Colleges In America

There are thousands of colleges across the country. While many of these schools provide excellent education, some schools seem to be lacking. The U.S. Department of Education recently released data concerning 2-year and 4-year colleges throughout the country that have recently been placed on โ€œheightened cash monitoringโ€ or have received high marks for being a risky school to attend, College Choice has done an excellent job at compiling a list of schools that they believe are among the worst colleges in America.

Are you an international student? and been puzzled by the contradictory information you encountered on the internet. You need not look further, this article allows you to learn more about worst colleges in america by state.

It is possible for you to find more information about facts about worst colleges in new york on collegelearners. Read on to discover the latest information on what are the best and worst colleges by state.

Worst Colleges In America

Worst Colleges In Texas

When youโ€™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 theyโ€™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 weโ€™ve also included colleges that inhibit free speech from The Advocate. Here are the 20 worst colleges in America based upon the information weโ€™ve gathered from these analyses.

The University of Montevallo

20. The University of Montevallo
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 at Aiken

  1. The University of South Carolina at Aiken
    The University of South Carolina, Aiken was founded in 1961. Itโ€™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 thereโ€™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.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Eastern New York

Rensselar EMPAC (Credit: UpstateNYer)
  1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Eastern New York
    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 โ€œeminent domainโ€ to prevent students from passing out buttons or flyers on campus sidewalks. You canโ€™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 governmentโ€™s ability to claim property, and itโ€™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

  1. Florida Memorial University
    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

  1. Grambling State University
    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

  1. Columbia College Hollywood
    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.

St. Augustine’s University

  1. St. Augustineโ€™s University
    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

  1. California State University Los Angeles
    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.
  2. Black Hills State University
    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 bachelorโ€™s degree is $72,400 and students amass a loan debt of $25,400 on average. Itโ€™s obvious that graduates are not making enough money upon graduation to justify attendance at this university.

Nazarene Bible College

  1. Nazarene Bible College
    If youโ€™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 isnโ€™t much call for candidates with this degree in the business world. Itโ€™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 donโ€™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.
Pin on HBCUs- South Atlantic

Mt. Sierra College

  1. Mt. Sierra College
    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 hasnโ€™t been around for very long. They do offer a variety of college courses in business and technology, but students just arenโ€™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 theyโ€™re likely to pass over graduates in favor of those who have their degrees from other colleges and universities.

California State University at Long Beach

  1. California State University at Long Beach
    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

*8. Georgetown University
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 theyโ€™re reputed for ignoring their own free speech policies. They havenโ€™t offered a solution to this problem, so theyโ€™re staying on the list until they can figure it out.

Stratford University

  1. Stratford University
    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 itโ€™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.

Worst Colleges In America Pennsylvania Tops The List

  1. University of the District of Columbia
    This university is located in Washington, DC in the urban district. Itโ€™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

  1. Shaw University
    Shaw University was founded as a private institution in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1865. Theyโ€™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.
Florida Memorial University | UNCF

Fayetteville State University

  1. Fayetteville State University
    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

  1. Lindsey Wilson College
    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.
  2. Morris College
    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

  1. DeVry University
    DeVry University is located in Illinois, and weโ€™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 itโ€™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.

Colleges are considered bad depending on a few factors. These factors range from cost, the graduation rate, the quality of education, reputation of the college, percentage of graduates who find jobs among others.

What most people donโ€™t realize when choosing a great college is also to look up colleges that donโ€™t do well in their countries to avoid them. I have compiled a list of some of the universities and colleges that donโ€™t do well in America. Here are the worst colleges in America based on the information I was able to gather; letโ€™s take a deeper look:

Florida Memorial University | Honor Society

Grambling State University

The university is located in Grambling, Louisiana. It is a public institution and has an undergraduate population of just over 4,000 students. The University has a high number of teachers working full time at 95% but the student to faculty ratio is 25:1. This is too high for a student who might need extra help from the lecturers or professors at the university. The annual cost attendance of the university is on average $26, 000. This is quite expensive for some students as they graduate with an average debt of $25,000. According to the U.S. News, 16.1% of students are likely to default on their loans. Students who get to graduate with a degree are averagely 30%. Those who secure employment have a median starting income of $43,800.

University of Montevallo

The University was founded in 1896 in Montevallo, Alabama. It is a public institution and has an undergraduate population of just under 2,600. It welcomes a huge number of students every year but most of them donโ€™t stick around. This is because it has a 47% graduation rate. This is almost half of the students who get to graduate. The annual cost of attendance for in-state students is $27,000 and for out-of-state students is around $40,000. Most of the students leave the university with a huge debt. The average number for this is said to be $25,000. Graduates get a median starting income of around $38,000 and the return on investment can go to as low as $20,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsFpz5gkxw0

Fayetteville State University

It was founded back in 1867 in urban Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is a public university with an enrollment of under 5,400 students at the undergraduate level. With such a huge population of students, very few of them get to graduate. The graduation rate at the university is a low 33% and the average return on investment stands at just $29,500 over two decades. The cost of attendance at the university is on average $28,000. This amount leaves students with a huge debt after their studies. The amount is said to be around $21,000 for most students. It will be hard paying the amount since the median starting income for graduates is $38,000.

University of South Carolina, Aiken

The US is full of old and historic colleges that students just canโ€™t wait to check out for themselves, but itโ€™s fair to say that the University of South Carolina located in suburban Aiken is not one of them. Founded in the year 1961, the new public institution boasts of enrollment of just under 3,400 for undergraduate students. The graduation rate is 41% and the median starting income for graduates is $41,000. The annual cost of attendance is between $18,500 to in-state students and $28,500 to out-state students. Most students jump ship when they realize that thereโ€™s not much to do in the community, which consists mostly of retired people and the community is fairly closed off. This cuts down on activities, recreation, and opportunities to network for finding a good job in the area upon graduation. The average debt at the institution is considered to be around $25,000.

California State University at Long Beach

This is the sister institution of the Los Angeles California State University. They are mostly criticized for holding their students on a tight leash. The institution refuses to allow artistic expression when the mention of race is mentioned by the students. The students are not allowed to make statements on racism. Students who were of a minority group were forced to close a play that made fun of the racial stereotyping that happens in society. Because of this, more and more people seem to be avoiding this college and enrolling elsewhere instead.

Lindsey Wilson College

Lindsey Wilson College was founded in Columbia, Kentucky in 1903 as a private institution by the United Method Church affiliation. The private college welcomes around 2,600 students every year, but only a small portion of them get to the end of the road. The average cost of attendance at the institution is roughly $34,000 with a median starting income for graduates of $38,500. Average student debt is considered to be around $21,000. With a graduation rate of just 31%, it seems as though very few students decide that Lindsey Wilson College is the perfect place for them to be at.

Shaw University

Shaw University was founded as a private institution in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1865. It enrolls a relatively small number of students at just 1,500. A huge number of them just donโ€™t get the chance to graduate with a degree in their hands.
What makes them one of the worst colleges in America is the graduation rate of just 23%. Students leave with an average debt of $28,000. The annual cost for attendance at the private institution is $25,000. The median starting income for the graduates is on average $29,000 per year. 16.3% of students usually defer on their loan payments due to the low salaries they earn annually.

Morris College

The college is situated in Sumter, South Carolina. It is a private institution affiliated with the Baptist Church and was founded in 1908. Around 1,200 undergraduates call this place home every single year, but many of them have noted that the college is a little behind the times. The outdated technology and lack of modern additions is the main catalyst for many students dropping out or transferring to other schools. The annual cost of attendance is just under $20,000 and students leave the school with an average debt of $26,000. The graduation rate lies at just 29% and those that do make it to graduation normally head into jobs that have a median income of $32,000.

University of the District of Columbia

This university is located in Washington, DC in the urban district. It is a public institution founded in 1976 with an undergraduate population of just 3,900. The fact that it is located at the heart of Washington, DC, some people love the school because of the vibe that it has. The graduation rate is only 32%which is low at the institution. University of the District of Columbia has an annual cost of $23,000 for in-state students and $29,600 for out of state students. There is no data on the return on investment for this university. The average debt students usually have after going to the university is $22,000. 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.

DeVry University

DeVry University was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry as DeForest Training School and officially became DeVry University in 2002. It is included in this list because only 29% of the students who enroll in the institution get to walk away with a degree. This is a small number compared to its population of around 13,000 enrollments in the previous years for undergraduate programs. The average student debt for those who graduate from the university is approximately $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. Making empty promises to students without facts to base the claims upon can get you into trouble in the legal system and it is 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.

worst colleges in the world

Within the intense competition of almost 25,000 global universities, finding what matches your interests can be tough. Several annual university rankings are a good solution to at least navigate among the abundance of educational institutions. 

Those rankings make the research process easier, providing a ready list of the best universities based on the deep analysis. 

However, practically those lists may still leave you uncertain about what university to choose. Even though there is a filtered list of the best colleges, they may still be inaccessible for a portion of young people because of the high tuition fees, high grades for admission, etc. 

An option to combine the university’s quality and accessibility is to look at the last rows of the best-ranked universities. 

The key point here is that if the university is on the best list, it is already a good one. Inclusion in the top rankings indicates that the university corresponds to the main qualitative and quantitative standards to be considered good. Lower scores just mean they have a place to improve in the industry competition. 

It might be easier to find an optimal choice in the lowest-ranked university lists. While there are exceptions, usually the lower are the university’s rankings, the more affordable and easier admitting it is. 

If you are unsure which rankings to start with, scroll down to the already combined list of 30 lowest-ranked (yet good) universities.

10 lowest ranked by US news 

Main indicators for evaluation: Global research reputation, Regional Research Reputation, Number of 10% most cited publications, etc. 

UniversitySpecialization areasLocation
Shanghai University of 
Traditional 
Chinese Medicine
Arts and HumanitiesBusiness and Social SciencesLanguage and CulturalMedicine and HealthEngineeringScience & TechnologyShanghai, 
China
Universidade Federal 
de Alagoas
Nursing and PharmacyArtsSocial SciencesPhysicsMathematicsChemistry and BiotechnologyArchitecture and UrbanismGeography, Development 
and Environment
Maceiรณ, 
Brazil
Huaqiao UniversityScienceEngineeringEconomicsManagementLawLiberal ArtsPhilosophyHistoryXiamen, 
China
Jichi Medical UniversityMedicineNursingShimotsuke, 
Japan
Kyoto Institute of
Technology
Applied BiologyBiomolecular EngineeringMacromolecular Science 
and EngineeringChemistry and Materials 
TechnologyElectronicsInformation ScienceDesign Engineering and 
ManagementIntegrated Science and 
Technology
Kyoto, 
Japan
East Tennessee 
State University
Arts and ScienceBusiness and TechnologyClinical and Rehabilitative Health SciencesNursingPharmacyPublic HealthContinuing StudiesJohnson City, 
United States
Henan Polytechnic 
University
ScienceTechnologyManagementArtsLowEconomicsEducationJiaozuo, 
China
Beijing University of 
Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese 
MedicineChinese Materia MedicineLife SciencesAcupunctureManagementNursingHumanitiesChinese Culture StudiesPhysical Teaching
Beijing, 
China
Grigore T Popa 
University of 
Medicine & Pharmacy
NursingDental TechniqueAudiologyBalneotherapyMedical CosmeticsPharmaceutical TechniqueIasi, 
Romania
Umm Al-Qura UniversityArabic LanguageBusinessEducation (in Makkah)Applied SciencesSocial SciencesEngineering and 
Islamic ArchitectureDentistryMedicine
Makkah, 
Saudi Arabia

10 lowest ranked in Times Higher Education ranking

Main indicators for evaluation: Teaching, Research, Citations, International Outlook, Industry Income. 

UniversitySpecialization areasLocation
Zhejiang University 
of Technology
Chemical Engineering 
and Materials ScienceMechanical EngineeringInformation EngineeringBusiness and AdministrationScienceLawForeign languagesArt
Zhejiang, China
University of ZanjanEngineeringArchitecturePaintingSciencesIslamic HistoryAgronomy and Plant BreedingSoil SciencesEconomic SciencesAccountancyPhilosophyZanjan, Iran
University of ZagrebNatural SciencesEngineeringBiomedical SciencesBiotechnologySocial SciencesHumanitiesThe ArtsZagreb, Croatia
Zagazig UniversityAgricultureCommerceVeterinary MedicineEducationHuman medicineOncologyPhysical Education GirlsPhysical Education BoysAsian StudiesComputing and InformationZagazig, Egypt
Yuan Ze UniversityEngineeringInformaticsManagementHumanitiesSocial SciencesTaoyuan City, Taiwan
Yokohama National 
University
EducationHuman SciencesEconomicsBusiness AdministrationEngineering ScienceUrban InnovationKanagawa, Japan
Yฤฑldฤฑz Technical UniversityElectric and ElectronicsLiterature and National 
culture StudiesArts & SciencesDesignEducationCivil EngineeringChemical and Metallurgical 
EngineeringNaval Architecture and Maritime
Istanbul, Turkey
Yeditepe UniversityApplied SciencesArchitectureArts and ScienceMathematicsCommerceDentistryLawPharmacyIstanbul, Turkey
Yazd UniversityEngineeringHumanities and 
Social SciencesScienceNatural Resources and 
Desert StudiesArt and Architecture
Safavieh, Iran
Yarmouk UniversityArtsScienceEconomics and Administrative 
SciencesEngineering TechnologyEducationPhysical EducationFine ArtsMass CommunicationArcheology and AnthropologyTourism and Hotel Management
Irbid, Jordan 

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