Baker University recently earned a spot among the top 50 colleges in the United States based on economic value. The Economist, an international weekly news publication, ranked Baker at 49th, in front of any other Kansas school. The second-closest Kansas institution was ranked 130th. This list was the first ever of its kind published by The Economist.

“I love that Baker is ranked in the top 50 school in the U.S.,” sophomore Jordan House said. “It really reflects the effort that the faculty puts into making the student here successful both before and after graduation.”

The Economist believes that the most important factor when choosing a school is actual alumni earning in relation to the initial expectations of what alumni will earn. The publication wanted to find a way to rank colleges across the country in a way that prevents universities from blaming their ranking on bias.

The Economist based its rankings off a simple premise that “the economic value of a university is equal to the gap between how much money its students subsequently earn, and how much they might have made had they studied elsewhere.”

Freshman Garrett Howland was impressed.

“You reap what you sow, and investing in a Baker education will put you leaps and bounds ahead of graduates of universities, especially in this area,” Howland said.

The publication looked at median earnings of former college students in relation to several factors, including average SAT and ACT scores, sex ratio, race breakdown, college size, whether a university was public or private and the mix of subjects students chose to study.

The researchers also found that most of the colleges that topped the list were either focused on engineering or had some form of religious affiliation. As a Methodist-affiliated school, Baker is one among that list.

Many students on campus did not need the article to believe that Baker is a special place.

“I feel like private universities like Baker don’t get the attention they deserve. Baker’s administrators, faculty, and academic programs set up students for success,” junior Andrew Emanuels said. “I’m proud to be a Wildcat, and I know I wouldn’t have the research opportunities, friends and community at any other school.”