FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University has emerged as a national leader in putting degrees and good jobs within reach of students, climbing to the top 8 percent in 2019 Social Mobility Index (SMI) rankings by CollegeNet.
Tarleton moved to 120 of 1,458 colleges and universities in 2019, up from 198 in 2018 and 213 in 2017.
CollegeNet has published rankings for six years, analyzing tuition, students’ family income, graduation rates, median salary five years after graduation and endowment size.
“The SMI helps families and policymakers determine which colleges are addressing the national problem of social mobility and helping to strengthen the promise of the American dream,” College Net explains. “A high SMI ranking means that a college is contributing in a responsible way to solving the dangerous problem of declining economic mobility in our country.”
Tarleton President James Hurley said a student’s economic circumstances should not be a barrier to achieving life goals.
“Tarleton is one of the top universities in the country when it comes to educating more low-income students at a lower tuition and graduating them into good-paying jobs,” he said.
For more information on CollegeNet’s 2019 Social Mobility Index, visit www.socialmobilityindex.org.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.