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State ranking · Education

Best States for Students

Focuses on the cost side of student life alongside the size of the local job market after graduation.

Published Feb 25, 2026 · Reviewed Jun 30, 2026 · US360 analysis of the published state dataset

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Methodology

Where is study plus living cost most manageable?

Weights, planned factors and limitations are published before the table so the result can be judged fairly.

Factors and weights

  • cost index40%
  • population30%
  • industry depth30%

Planned factors — not yet sourced

  • In-state tuition
  • Out-of-state tuition
  • Graduation rate
  • Student housing cost

Limitations

  • Tuition is set per institution; a state figure would hide a very wide range.
Full methodology

Full ranking

All state hubs, scored identically

Best States for Students — US360 composite score out of 100, computed from the published state dataset.
RankStateScore
1TexasSouth74.4
2FloridaSouth63.7
3OhioMidwest62.1
4CaliforniaWest61.8
5PennsylvaniaNortheast59.8
6MichiganMidwest59.7
7GeorgiaSouth59.5
8IllinoisMidwest59.5
9North CarolinaSouth58.3
10MissouriMidwest57.9
11IndianaMidwest57.8
12OklahomaSouth57.3
13TennesseeSouth57.3
14MississippiSouth56.8
15AlabamaSouth56.6
16KentuckySouth56.4
17ArkansasSouth56.3
18WisconsinMidwest56
19West VirginiaSouth55.9
20KansasMidwest55.6
21LouisianaSouth55.6
22IowaMidwest55.5
23South CarolinaSouth55.3
24NebraskaMidwest53.8
25MinnesotaMidwest53.3
26VirginiaSouth53.3
27New YorkNortheast52.8
28New MexicoWest52.6
29ArizonaWest52.4
30South DakotaMidwest52.1
31North DakotaMidwest51.7
32WyomingWest50.6
33IdahoWest50.2
34ColoradoWest49.6
35NevadaWest49.1
36New JerseyNortheast49.1
37UtahWest48.7
38MontanaWest48.1
39DelawareSouth47.7
40WashingtonWest47.1
41MaineNortheast46
42MarylandSouth45.9
43OregonWest45.3
44ConnecticutNortheast45
45Rhode IslandNortheast43.3
46New HampshireNortheast43.2
47VermontNortheast43
48AlaskaWest37.8
49MassachusettsNortheast34.5
50Washington, D.C.South28.2
51HawaiiWest15.6

Trust & transparency

How this ranking is maintained

How reports are created

A researcher drafts from the shared state dataset, a second researcher recomputes every composite, and an editor reviews the wording before publication.

How data is verified

A measure only enters a ranking when the same field exists for all 51 hubs. Anything partial stays a labelled placeholder.

When reports are updated

Annual reports are re-published yearly with a mid-year review. Rankings recompute with the dataset and are reviewed at least twice a year.

Known limitations

State-level figures cannot describe a specific city or neighbourhood, and several important measures are still unsourced. Each report lists its own limits.

Corrections process

Corrections are published on the report page with the date and the change, and the version history records what moved.

Reader feedback

Anyone can flag a figure through the contact page. Flagged figures are re-checked before the next review date.

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