The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic
What’s Covered:
- How We Put This List Together
- The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic
- For More Information
We here at CollegeVine hear a lot about college rankings. In fact, many students come to us with a college list compiled primarily based on the traditional popular ranking lists. These lists are fine, but many great schools exist beyond those popularized by college rankings.
Because every student is unique, it’s unlikely that every student is best served by the top-ranked colleges. Instead, we sometimes find that a student’s best fit college can even be one that they’ve never heard of before. To learn about our top 10 underrated colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region, read on!
How We Put This List Together
Through our experiences working with thousands of students and colleges across the country, we have learned quite a bit about college ranking tools and the metrics used to weigh one college against another. While college rankings can do a great job of identifying specific schools that shine in traditional ways, they often don’t do as good of a job at recognizing colleges that excel by other metrics.
At CollegeVine, when we measure the success of a college, we like to look at college output. Output means things like return on investment (ROI), job outcomes, and starting salaries. Many college rankings include these factors, but weigh input factors more heavily—these include things like admissions selectivity and average SAT scores.
To determine our top ten underrated colleges in the Mid-Atlantic, we considered the following factors:
- Cost of attendance and generosity of financial aid & scholarships
- One- and five-year ROI after graduation
- Financial performance of specific majors
- Qualitative data on career outcomes like job placements and grad school progression
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic
1. George Mason University
Location: Fairfax, VA
Acceptance Rate: 88%
Undergrad Enrollment: 27,000
George Mason University is located just outside of Washington, D.C., in Fairfax County, VA. This alone makes it attractive, as the D.C. job market is strong. Besides that, its broad course offerings, ranging from the humanities to pre-law programs, are well-rounded and respected. Although it generally lands within the top 150 in popular ranking lists, it places in our top 75 for ROI and career outcomes.
George Mason’s outcomes are comparable to much higher-ranked schools in the area like George Washington (63) and American University (79)—and its econ department is among the top in the country.
Learn more about George Mason University and what it takes to get accepted.
2. West Virginia University
Location: Morgantown, WV
Acceptance Rate: 73%
Undergrad Enrollment: 20,600
WVU generally ranks around the top 200 nationally, and many students write it off due to its location; however, those who look more closely will be pleased to learn that West Virginia University is located just an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh and lands in the top 125 for ROI and career outcomes.
In addition, with a total cost of attendance of just $44k per year for out-of-state students, this choice is a very affordable option offering strong STEM and engineering programs.
Learn more about West Virginia University and what it takes to get accepted.
3. Loyola Maryland University
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Undergrad Enrollment: 4,000
Loyola University Maryland ranks highly in its region and can be a very attractive option, especially for business students who want access to the D.C. job market.
In fact, Loyola Maryland lands in the top 150 nationally for ROI and career prospects. With over 95% of graduates employed or in graduate school, Loyola is a safe bet.
Learn more about Loyola University Maryland and what it takes to get accepted.
4. Ursinus College
Location: Collegeville, PA
Acceptance Rate: 83%
Undergrad Enrollment: 1,500
Ursinus College is a liberal arts college just under an hour from Philadelphia, and around two hours from NYC. U.S. News ranks it at 84 in the Liberal Art Colleges category, but it lands in our top 40 for ROI and career outcomes. Its special strength is its pre-med program. Ursinus also offers engineering partnerships with Columbia and Case Western.
Ursinus’s unique, yearlong Common Intellectual Experience, required of all first-year students, explores four central questions of the traditional liberal arts education: What should matter to me? How should we live together? How can we understand the world? What will I do?
Learn more about Ursinus College and what it takes to get accepted.
5. Virginia Tech
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Acceptance Rate: 55%
Undergrad Enrollment: 30,500
Virginia Tech is located about 4 hours away from Washington, D.C., and offers quality programs, especially in the STEM fields. It often ranks around the top 50 on popular lists, and lands in our top 45 for ROI and career outcomes.
Learn more about Virginia Tech and what it takes to get accepted.
6. Drexel University
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance Rate: 78%
Undergrad Enrollment: 13,300
Drexel University is based in Philadelphia, which also means that NYC is a short trip away. Its cooperative education program offers students up to 18 months of full-time, paid work experience in their fields before they graduate. Drexel generally ranks within the top 100 on popular lists, and it lands in our top 75 for ROI and career outcomes. In addition, it offers an attractive BS/MD program for aspiring doctors.
Learn more about Drexel University and what it takes to get accepted.
7. American University
Location: Washington, D.C.
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Undergrad Enrollment: 7,300
American University offers high-quality programs in business, pre-law, and the humanities, all in the heart of Washington, D.C. Though it’s often ranked around the top 90 overall, American University’s ROI and career outcomes rank in the top 45.
Learn more about American University and what it takes to get accepted.
8. North Carolina State University | NC State
Location: Raleigh, NC
Acceptance Rate: 40%
Undergrad Enrollment: 26,000
North Carolina State University is the least known of the three schools that make up the Research Triangle. The others, Duke and UNC Chapel Hill, land much higher in the rankings, but NCSU still holds its own as a public research university with quality programs in business and engineering.
NCSU offers access to the Raleigh–Durham job market and lands in the top 45 for ROI and career outcomes.
Learn more about North Carolina State University and what it takes to get accepted.
9. Bucknell University
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Acceptance Rate: 32%
Undergrad Enrollment: 3,900
Bucknell University is a liberal arts college with strong programs in business and accounting. Its location in Lewisburg, PA means it is central to Philadelphia, NYC, and even Washington, D.C. It is sometimes referred to as a “hidden Ivy” for the high quality of its educational programs. Bucknell places in the top 15 of liberal arts colleges for ROI and career outcomes.
Learn more about Bucknell University and what it takes to get accepted.
10. University of Delaware
Location: Newark, DE
Acceptance Rate: 72%
Undergrad Enrollment: 19,100
The University of Delaware offers a wide variety of quality programs, from pre-law and business to pre-med and engineering. It often ranks within the top 100 overall, but its ROI and career outcomes land it in our top 60. Notable alumni include Nobel Prize winners, NASA scientists, and former President Joe Biden. Graduates of UD enjoy the nearby resources of NYC and Philadelphia.
Learn more about the University of Delaware and what it takes to get accepted.
For More Information
Interested in discovering more underrated colleges? Check out the following blog posts:
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the U.S.
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Midwest
Top 10 Most Underrated Computer Science Colleges in the U.S.
Top 10 Most Underrated West Coast Colleges
With these schools in mind, you may have found a college that aligns with your future med school goals. At CollegeVine, we’re committed to making college guidance accessible to all who want it. That’s why, on our college applications guidance platform, you can use our free chancing engine, build a best-fit school list, and learn how to improve your profile—all for free.
Sign up for a CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your journey to a college as a pre-med. Also check out Sage, our AI tutor and advisor, who can improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school by helping you show what you have to offer beyond the numbers!
