2007-08 College Destinations Index by Todd Hoffman

Academic Environment Student Concentration Research Capacity Education Attainment

The 2007-08 College Destinations Index

Quality of Life

Student Diversity Arts & Leisure City Accessibility

Creative Environment Brain Gain Metropolitan Area Cost of Living Professional Opportunity Earning Potential Population Entrepreneurial Activity Unemployment Brain Drain

Prepared for the 2007 NACAC Conference by:

A new tool for prospects and parents What makes one city or region more suitable for college students

Today, personal development and professional preparation are as funda-

than another? With “location” now ranking among the three greatest

mental to one’s undergraduate experience as academic achievement.

influencers in the college decision (along with cost and school

As a result, it is the education occurring outside the classroom which

reputation) … that’s the $150,000 question.

tends to have the most profound impact on our nation’s college students.

Those looking for some clues can now turn to the 2007-08 College

From concert halls and coffee shops to community service and

Destinations Index (CDI). This unique benchmarking system lets pros-

corporate internships, it is beyond the campus gates where much of

pects and parents alike evaluate the broader learning environment

that transformative learning takes place. For this reason, proximity

surrounding their campus of interest.

plays a greater role in one’s college education than ever before.

Using 12 specific and measurable metrics, CDI researchers analyzed data

Now, regardless of a college prospect’s preferred environment …

on more than 290 U.S. metropolitan areas to identify those regions that

suburban or urban, big city or small … he or she can make a more

provide the set of resources best suited to the needs and priorities of

informed decision as to which school is truly the best fit.

today’s college students. Each metropolitan area rating is a composite of three separate indices (Academic Environment, Quality of Life,

Who else can benefit from this index? Across the country, civic leaders,

and Professional Opportunities) to capture what we believe should

CEOs, and university presidents are realizing the vast impact that college

become the basis for a new, more

students have on their respective regions. Being known as a cool college

contemporary education

hub evokes a youthful vibrancy that spills over into all aspects of the

equation.

local community, driving urban revitalization efforts, bolstering regional perceptions, and attracting other young professionals from around the world. Simply put, to compete in today’s globally competitive economy, cities must be magnets for skilled, techno-savvy talent..

Boston had to score high in all three indices to top this year’s rankings of the best cities for college students.

Think Boston and Austin, two cities that rank among the top 15 in this year’s College Destinations Index. So, whether you're planning your own personal future, your institution's, or that of an entire region ... it is with you in mind that we present the map on the right, showcasing the 75 top cities for college students, and the inside chart, detailing each location’s individual scores.

75 Best Cities for College Students according to the 2007-08 College Destinations Index

Seattle

Portland

NORTHEAST WEST

Minneapolis— St. Paul

MIDWEST

Springfield

Rochester

Appleton 13 Madison Milwaukee Lansing 2 8

AKRON

Iowa City 4 1 8 Napa

Fort Collins

Columbus Indianapolis

Champaign— 3 Urbana

Kansas City

San Jose—Palo Alto

Boulder 1

3 San Francisco

Chicago

Lawrence 6

Columbia

Charlottesville

Los Angeles

Phoenix

SOUTH

San Diego

Dallas— Fort Worth

Mid-Size Metros

III

Small Cities

IIII

College Towns

10 19

Atlanta

Charleston KEY CAPITALIZED CITIES Where Collegia has created programs

College Station

Greenville

Austin 4 Major Cities

Charlotte

Birmingham

Las Cruces

TIER

Raleigh— Durham 2

Nashville

Athens

Honolulu

Richmond

Lexington

Santa Barbara 11 9

Baltimore

19 15

St. Louis

Princeton—Trenton

Washington, DC

Cincinnati

Bloomington

New Haven New York City

PHILADELPHIA

8 4

PITTSBURGH

10 2

Denver

Salinas 1 4

Worcester

BOSTON 1 12 9 15 Providence 1 Hartford 7

Bloomington

Lincoln 10

State College

CLEVELAND/

Santa Rosa 1 6

Buffalo 18

Ann Arbor 3

Cedar Rapids 1 7 Reno

Santa Cruz 5 1

Detroit 13

Albany

Italicized Cities Where Collegia has provided consulting

Gainesville

9 11

New Orleans Houston

Tampa 2 0

1 8 Miami

2007-08 College Destinations Index Major Cities populations greater than 2.5 million

Mid-size Metros

Tier I 2007 Rank

MAJOR CITIES

Small Cities

Student Concentration

Student Diversity

Research Capacity

College Towns

Quality of Life (QL)

Academic Environment (AE) 2004 Population

by Collegia

Degree Attainment

Arts & Leisure

City Accessibility

Creative Class

Professional Opportunity (PO) Cost of Living

Earning Potential

Entrepreneurial Activity

Unemployment

Brain Gain or Drain

Boston

4,424,649

77.5

8.0%

$406

51.2%

140.2

20.4%

38.2%

$1,308

$46,060

5.3

4.5

1.10

New York City

18,709,802

49.2

5.9%

$106

36.4%

151.2

38.5%

34.4%

$1,147

$43,276

5.5

3.6

1.00

San Francisco

4,153,870

67.2

4.1%

$289

41.3%

170.2

19%

36.0%

$1,490

$49,277

5.6

4.0

1.07

Washington, DC

5,139,549

50.6

4.8%

$63

44.4%

105.7

15.0%

42.0%

$1,187

$46,782

6.6

2.9

1.31

Atlanta

4,708,297

36.4

5.3%

$178

35.7%

98.4

5.2%

33.1%

$928

$33,838

6.9

4.6

1.43

Chicago

9,391,515

56.7

3.0%

$79

35.0%

108.7

15.1%

32.1%

$906

$37,169

6.6

4.4

1.00

Seattle

3,166,826

55.1

3.9%

$220

34.2%

138.3

10.7%

33.7%

$834

$41,634

4.9

4.6

1.15

Baltimore

2,639,213

59.9

3.8%

$625

34.5%

91.4

9.6%

34.3%

$900

$38,813

6.6

4.0

0.88

Los Angeles

12,925,330

64.2

3.6%

$111

23.0%

132.5

9.0%

31.6%

$1,252

$35,188

5.8

4.5

0.80

Minneapolis--St. Paul

3,116,206

57.0

3.4%

$173

39.9%

120.4

7.6%

35.1%

$928

$40,915

4.7

3.1

1.19

Houston

5,180,443

41.9

6.0%

$253

25.5%

81.3

5.6%

31.4%

$801

$36,852

6.2

5.0

1.13

Philadelphia

5,800,614

56.9

3.8%

$166

32.9%

113.0

13.3%

33.5%

$904

$38,768

4.5

4.7

0.87

San Diego

2,931,714

82.6

2.4%

$254

28.7%

103.3

7.7%

31.6%

$1,183

$37,965

5.8

3.7

0.82

Dallas--Fort Worth

5,700,256

42.1

5.5%

$67

30.7%

85.2

3.5%

31.9%

$800

$35,502

6.2

4.8

1.29

Detroit

4,493,165

36.3

4.1%

$48

27.5%

88.9

3.5%

25.2%

$805

$36,650

5.7

5.8

0.84

Cleveland--Akron

2,839,151

46.4

3.6%

$106

29.7%

120.4

5.9%

29.9%

$714

$34,263

6.0

4.9

0.79

St. Louis

2,764,054

66.6

2.5%

$209

31.1%

108.4

4.3%

29.9%

$741

$34,735

6.2

4.6

0.82

Miami

5,361,723

49.2

5.2%

$52

25.5%

116.5

5.5%

28.6%

$942

$34,278

5.8

3.2

0.78

Phoenix

3,715,360

60.6

2.6%

$45

24.6%

82.4

5.2%

35.7%

$817

$31,133

7.8

3.3

0.91

Tampa

2,587,967

44.4

3.0%

$89

24.5%

100.9

3.9%

26.7%

$805

$31,677

5.2

3.0

0.79

Population (ACS - 2004)

Number of college students per capita (IPEDS 2004)

Percent of student body that is international (IPEDS-2004)

R&D Expenditure per Capita (NSF - 2004)

Percent of 25-34 population with BA or higher (Census 2000)

Entertainment amenities per capita (Economic Census 2002)

Percent of workers 16+ who commute via public trans, bike, or walk (Census 2000)

Percent of workforce in Creative Class jobs (Catalytix 2004)

Average two Bedroom rent (HUD - 2005)

Income per capita (BEA 2004)

Percentage of notable startups and business growth (NPRC - 2004)

Rate of unemployment (BLS May 2006)

Ratio of college graduates to enrolled students (Catalytix 2000)

Prepared by:

www.collegia.com

2007

ÂŠ

2007-08 College Destinations Index Mid-size Metros 1.0 to 2.5 million residents

Major Cities

Tier II 2007 Rank

MID-SIZE METROS

Small Cities

Academic Environment (AE) 2004 Population

Student Concentration

Student Diversity

Research Capacity

by Collegia

College Towns

Quality of Life (QL) Degree Attainment

Arts & Leisure

City Accessibility

Professional Opportunity (PO)

Creative Class

Cost of Living

Earning Potential

Entrepreneurial Activity

Unemployment

Brain Gain or Drain

San Jose-Palo Alto

1,741,431

83.4

6.3%

$377

44.7%

115.7

6.7%

43.2%

$1,313

$48,530

5.6

4.4

1.16

Raleigh-Durham

1,365,892

96.5

5.4%

$1,009

45.2%

95.2

4.5%

40.1%

$829

$34,498

7.2

3.4

1.08

Denver

2,330,146

48.4

2.9%

$19

36.5%

119.6

7.4%

34.1%

$973

$40,939

6.0

4.4

1.38

Austin

1,412,271

96.8

4.9%

$275

38.9%

117.8

5.4%

36.4%

$912

$32,494

6.6

4.0

1.09

Nashville

1,395,879

61.1

2.0%

$261

32.9%

254.1

2.7%

29.5%

$740

$34,904

6.4

4.1

1.03

Charlotte

1,474,734

45.3

3.4%

32.3%

101.1

2.8%

31.2%

$773

$34,816

7.2

4.6

1.27

Columbus

1,693,906

67.3

5.1%

$323

35.6%

106.6

5.1%

24.4%

$683

$34,128

6.4

5.1

0.87

Milwaukee

1,515,738

59.4

2.0%

$100

33.1%

138.2

7.6%

29.9%

$737

$36,488

6.1

5.0

0.88

Portland

2,064,336

50.4

2.5%

$116

31.0%

126.5

10.5%

31.3%

$739

$33,875

4.9

5.0

1.11

Indianapolis

1,621,613

35.3

3.3%

31.0%

102.7

3.3%

29.7%

$702

$35,266

6.9

4.3

1.22

New Orleans

1,319,589

55.3

4.0%

$88

25.6%

141.2

9.1%

28.0%

$711

$31,024

5.5

6.4

0.75

Hartford

1,184,564

60.7

3.5%

$169

34.4%

124.5

5.7%

38.0%

$924

$40,880

4.2

4.1

0.88

Cincinnati

2,058,221

38.9

3.6%

$155

31.2%

107.6

5.8%

29.2%

$735

$34,368

6.2

4.9

0.92

Rochester

1,041,499

69.5

3.7%

$278

31.9%

128.2

5.9%

36.4%

$726

$36,619

4.6

2.9

1.31

Providence

1,628,808

65.1

3.3%

$157

27.3%

157.6

6.1%

30.6%

$920

$33,912

4.9

5.3

0.66

Kansas City

1,925,319

50.3

2.0%

$18

34.1%

104.6

2.8%

31.8%

$691

$34,585

6.5

4.4

1.15

Pittsburgh

2,401,575

53.1

4.2%

$256

34.1%

138.0

10.1%

29.8%

$694

$34,685

4.0

4.9

0.74

Buffalo

1,154,378

64.6

8.1%

30.6%

136.9

6.6%

29.4%

$648

$31,006

4.8

4.9

0.66

Richmond

1,154,317

47.4

2.0%

$129

34.4%

103.0

4.3%

31.6%

$810

$35,422

6.0

3.0

1.01

Birmingham (AL)

1,082,193

43.5

3.0%

$309

31.5%

79.6

2.1%

30.5%

$627

$33,067

7.3

3.9

0.93

Population (ACS - 2004)

Number of college students per capita (IPEDS 2004)

Percent of student body that is international (IPEDS-2004)

R&D Expenditure per Capita (NSF - 2004)

Percent of 25-34 population with BA or higher (Census 2000)

Entertainment amenities per capita (Economic Census 2002)

Percent of workers 16+ who commute via public trans, bike, or walk (Census 2000)

Percent of workforce in Creative Class jobs (Catalytix 2004)

Average two Bedroom rent (HUD - 2005)

Income per capita (BEA 2004)

Percentage of notable startups and business growth (NPRC - 2004)

Rate of unemployment (BLS May 2006)

Ratio of college graduates to enrolled students (Catalytix 2000)

Prepared by:

www.collegia.com

2007

ÂŠ

2007-08 College Destinations Index Major Cities

2007 Rank

SMALL CITIES

Small Cities 250,000 to one million residents

Mid-size Metros

Tier III

Academic Environment (AE) 2004 Population

Student Concentration

Student Diversity

Research Capacity

by Collegia

College Towns

Quality of Life (QL) Degree Attainment

Arts & Leisure

City Accessibility

Creative Class

Professional Opportunity (PO) Cost of Living

Earning Potential

Entrepreneurial Activity

Unemployment

Brain Gain or Drain

Boulder, CO

278,917

170.2

2.7%

$1,499

57.9%

157.0

12.6%

40.4%

$1,082

$43,640

5.7

3.7

1.10

Madison,WI

531,766

160.3

5.2%

$1,691

48.7%

177.3

12.5%

34.3%

$788

$37,447

6.3

3.3

0.83

Ann Arbor, MI

339,191

118.1

8.0%

$1,355

45.6%

92.3

7.7%

36.5%

$909

$39,528

5.7

4.0

0.74

Princeton-Trenton, NJ

365,371

113.8

5.4%

$524

35.6%

109.8

12.3%

39.4%

$1,045

$44,661

5.4

4.3

0.87

Santa Cruz, CA

250,633

116.9

1.7%

$307

30.5%

128.5

10.3%

30.5%

$1,455

$39,815

5.4

5.1

0.73

Honolulu, HI

899,593

62.4

8.4%

$409

29.0%

147.0

15.3%

29.1%

$1,024

$34,911

6.1

2.7

0.83

New Haven, CT

845,694

79.3

5.7%

$724

38.6%

122.5

8.2%

32.8%

$960

$38,354

5.5

4.0

0.81

Fort Collins, CO

268,872

111.2

3.0%

$744

42.9%

119.8

6.3%

31.7%

$793

$32,893

5.8

3.8

0.78

Worcester, MA

779,488

56.8

4.6%

$316

32.6%

109.8

5.4%

33.8%

$888

$35,384

5.3

4.9

0.85

Lincoln, NE

278,201

149.8

4.2%

$1,104

36.3%

61.8

5.5%

31.3%

$632

$32,749

6.6

2.9

0.70

Santa Barbara, CA

401,851

100.0

3.4%

$373

24.9%

136.4

9.6%

30.4%

$1,145

$36,079

4.9

3.5

0.59

Springfield, MA

687,973

51.8

7.8%

$209

26.4%

148.0

8.3%

30.7%

$770

$31,146

4.2

4.1

1.07

Lansing, MI

455,929

153.1

5.6%

$718

32.5%

83.8

6.3%

32.8%

$692

$29,588

4.7

5.3

0.52

Salinas, CA

414,629

88.6

2.1%

$158

16.0%

138.7

7.1%

23.7%

$1,096

$33,952

4.5

5.6

0.87

Lexington, KY

424,661

133.0

2.6%

$582

34.4%

119.4

5.2%

29.9%

$608

$32,722

5.6

4.3

0.79

Santa Rosa, CA

468,450

70.1

0.6%

21.3%

138.8

6.7%

31.2%

$1,211

$38,901

5.4

3.8

0.76

Reno, NV

384,491

95.8

2.8%

$237

21.8%

133.4

7.2%

20.1%

$900

$39,430

5.2

3.6

0.75

Napa, CA

412,970

97.1

3.3%

$929

18.4%

52.8

5.3%

25.8%

$1,083

$31,967

5.4

4.6

0.70

Charleston, SC

583,434

59.8

1.3%

$281

30.0%

139.5

5.7%

28.2%

$690

$29,120

7.2

4.7

0.82

Albany, NY

845,269

115.3

3.2%

$215

33.4%

138.2

7.4%

35.6%

$719

$33,950

4.5

3.7

0.77

Population (ACS - 2004)

Number of college students per capita (IPEDS 2004)

Percent of student body that is international (IPEDS-2004)

R&D Expenditure per Capita (NSF - 2004)

Percent of 25-34 population with BA or higher (Census 2000)

Entertainment amenities per capita (Economic Census 2002)

Percent of workers 16+ who commute via public trans, bike, or walk (Census 2000)

Percent of workforce in Creative Class jobs (Catalytix 2004)

Average two Bedroom rent (HUD - 2005)

Income per capita (BEA 2004)

Percentage of notable startups and business growth (NPRC - 2004)

Rate of unemployment (BLS May 2006)

Ratio of college graduates to enrolled students (Catalytix 2000)

Prepared by:

www.collegia.com

2007

ÂŠ

2007-08 College Destinations Index Major Cities

Mid-size Metros

Tier IV 2007 Rank

COLLEGE TOWNS

Student Concentration

Student Diversity

Research Capacity

College Towns under 250,000 residents

Small Cities

Academic Environment (AE) 2004 Population

by Collegia

Quality of Life (QL) Degree Attainment

Arts & Leisure

City Accessibility

Professional Opportunity (PO)

Creative Class

Cost of Living

Earning Potential

Entrepreneurial Activity

Unemployment

Brain Gain or Drain

State College, PA

140,476

304.1

7.8%

$3,929

46.5%

0.0

17.9%

26.3%

$737

$27,041

4.5

3.6

0.45

Bloomington, IN

177,587

340.0

7.9%

$2,801

49.7%

47.3

12.4%

20.5%

$663

$25,535

5.7

4.6

0.40

Champaign-Urbana, IL

215,122

279.5

10.1%

$2,747

49.1%

31.1

15.8%

33.1%

$646

$28,858

5.3

3.6

0.47

Iowa City, IA

137,397

256.2

6.4%

$2,631

56.2%

0.0

17.3%

29.3%

$679

$32,729

5.6

2.2

0.61

College Station,TX

189,468

299.1

8.2%

$3,354

44.1%

66.1

6.8%

31.0%

$706

$23,446

5.6

4.0

0.41

Lawrence, KS

102,786

287.7

5.6%

$1,731

49.3%

0.0

9.1%

29.7%

$666

$28,291

6.0

3.2

0.57

Charlottesville,VA

180,901

173.6

5.8%

$1,292

49.8%

54.2

8.8%

36.9%

$782

$34,333

5.8

2.2

0.69

Columbia, MO

151,307

308.4

3.9%

$1,515

48.7%

0.0

6.6%

23.9%

$581

$30,019

6.2

2.9

0.64

Gainesville, FL

239,114

285.4

5.0%

$1,972

44.7%

29.3

8.7%

36.2%

$655

$27,528

5.3

2.5

0.48

Athens, GA

173,760

236.0

3.6%

$1,953

40.6%

32.2

5.7%

29.3%

$651

$25,264

5.1

3.8

0.52

Bloomington, IL

158,006

183.0

1.8%

$26

45.1%

0.0

6.9%

31.8%

$649

$31,826

5.7

3.5

0.61

Cedar Rapids, IA

244,546

101.6

3.2%

33.4%

76.1

4.2%

31.5%

$628

$32,901

5.7

3.1

0.92

Appleton,WI

213,102

65.5

1.4%

29.5%

66.1

4.6%

23.0%

$596

$32,821

6.0

4.4

0.98

Greenville, NC

160,806

229.1

0.8%

$94

33.6%

0.0

3.7%

30.6%

$589

$26,177

6.6

5.2

0.48

Las Cruces, NM

186,095

199.1

2.1%

$637

19.3%

0.0

3.6%

32.5%

$516

$21,677

7.0

4.6

0.48

Population (ACS - 2004)

Number of college students per capita (IPEDS 2004)

Percent of student body that is international (IPEDS-2004)

R&D Expenditure per Capita (NSF - 2004)

Percent of 25-34 population with BA or higher (Census 2000)

Entertainment amenities per capita (Economic Census 2002)

Percent of workers 16+ who commute via public trans, bike, or walk (Census 2000)

Percent of workforce in Creative Class jobs (Catalytix 2004)

Average two Bedroom rent (HUD - 2005)

Income per capita (BEA 2004)

Percentage of notable startups and business growth (NPRC - 2004)

Rate of unemployment (BLS May 2006)

Ratio of college graduates to enrolled students (Catalytix 2000)

Prepared by:

www.collegia.com

2007

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Methodology Major Cities: Metropolitan areas with populations greater than 2,500,000. Mid-size Metros: Metropolitan areas with populations from 1 to 2,500,000. Small Cities: Metropolitan areas with 250,000 to 1,000,000 residents. College Towns: Metros of under 250,000 residents and more than 15,000 college students. Metropolitan Area and Type: A metropolitan area is described by the U.S. Census Bureau as a “large population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of social and economic integration with that core.” This often includes one or more entire counties. For the 2007-08 College Destinations Index we relied primarily on defined Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) and Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSA), but in certain situations substituted data for Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA). Statistical Computation: The overall rankings were computed by University of Pennsylvania graduate student, George Smith, who served as primary researcher. Specific metrics were also provided by University of Toronto professor, Dr. Kevin Stolarick, on behalf of Catalytix. The variables used were all on a per capita basis (e.g. per 100,000), standardized with a mean of zero and standard deviation of one. After variables were standardized, they were combined within each index to arrive at a score for that respective index. Overall scores used the standardized-mean rank method and were determined by averaging the standardized score for the three indices. Population: Estimates were based on the 2004 U.S. Census.

ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITY

1. Student Concentration: Number of college students per capita – (National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System or IPEDS)

1. Earning Potential: Average income per capita (Bureau of Economic Analysis)

2. Student Diversity: International student share of overall regional enrollment (IIE Open Doors)

2. Entrepreneurial Activity: Measure of new start-up activity and business growth within a defined geographic area (National Policy Research Council)

3. Research Capacity: R&D expenditure per capita (National Science Foundation)

3. Unemployment: Rate of unemployment (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

4. Degree Attainment: Percent of population 25-34 with a BA or higher (U.S. Census)

4. Brain Gain or Drain: Indicates whether a specific region is creating students at a higher/lower rate than they can be absorbed into the local workforce. Based on the ratio workforce with a BA or better and percent of college-age population currently in college. (Catalytix)

QUALITY OF LIFE 1. Arts & Leisure: Entertainment amenities per capita (Economic Census)

ABOUT COLLEGIA 2. City Accessibility: Percent of population over 16 who commute by public transportation, bike or foot (U.S. Census) 3. Creative Class: Density of workforce employed in “creative class” occupations (Catalytix). 4. Cost of Living: Average rent for a two bedroom apartment (U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development)

“It’s becoming ever clearer that the successful cities and metro areas of the 21st century will be those that appeal to young people— especially talented youth.”

— Neil Peirce, Columnist and Founder of Citistates Group

Since 1994, Collegia has been singularly focused on “connecting colleges and communities.” Its founders have in-depth experience working with regional stakeholders (government, civic, corporate, academic), helping them leverage their higher-education clusters to improve the economic well-being and vibrancy of their respective regions. For more information, contact: