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• Step 3: Your ranking of Comparative Literature programs

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The rankings below have been generated just for you using the priorities you set on this page. You can change your priorities or get rankings for a different field.

How to Read Your Ranking

• Programs are ranked by their score, a weighted sum of the items you chose. (Details)
• Descriptions of each item are listed at the bottom of the page. (You can also see a description by mousing over items at the top of the table.)
• Your weight for each item is shown beneath the item at the top of the table. Weights range in magnitude from 0 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
• A positive weight means that you prefer larger values for the item. A negative weight means that you prefer smaller values for the item.
• Green values are at least one standard deviation better than the mean. Red values are at least one standard deviation worse than the mean.
• Data sources can be found below.

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Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
1.	Comparative Literature, Brown University	19.9	6.7	100%*	3.0	3.0	$16,202	1.2	8	2.3	15%	725	710
2.	Comparative Literature, Vanderbilt University	19.5	4.6	100%	2.9*	2.9*	$17,056	1.2	19*	2.7*	35%	695	675
3.	Comparative Literature, Stanford University	16.6	7.0	84%	3.8	4.1	$17,084	3.8	11	2.9	12%	735	720
4.	Comparative Literature, Cornell University	16.0	6.3	64%	3.8	4.3	$16,969	2.2	27	0.9	27%	710	675
5.	Comparative Literature, Princeton University	13.7	6.7	65%	4.0	4.3	$17,805	5.0	17	1.9	11%	745	735
6.	Comparative Literature, Yale University	12.9	7.7	59%	4.3	4.7	$16,526	5.6	18	1.8	10%	740	740
7.	Comparative Literature, Emory University	11.5	6.2	87%	2.7	2.7	$16,296	3.2	19	1.6	39%	700	680
8.	Comparative Literature, Harvard University	9.1	7.7	73%	3.8	4.4	$17,425	6.0	21	3.0	9%	745	745
8.	Comparative Literature, University of Pennsylvania	9.1	6.9	62%	3.6	4.0	$18,171	3.0	35	1.5	21%	725	705
10.	Comparative Literature, University of Connecticut	7.9	6.8	100%	2.3	1.9	$17,058*	1.2	16	1.3	51%	600	585
11.	Comparative Literature, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	6.7	5.2	65%	2.6	2.7	$13,812	4.0	25	1.7	58%	610	580
12.	Comparative Literature, The University of Texas at Arlington	5.9	7.6*	69%*	2.9*	2.9*	$12,476*	0.8	19*	2.7*	79%	545	515
13.	Comparative Literature, University of Southern California	5.7	7.9	55%	2.7	2.9	$16,572	1.8	13	1.5	27%	690	665
14.	Comparative Literature, Northwestern University	5.5	7.6*	69%*	3.0	3.2	$20,905*	1.0	29	0.8	30%	715	695
15.	Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas Main Campus	4.9	7.3	69%*	2.9*	2.9*	$14,340*	1.4	19*	2.7*	87%	580	575
16.	Comparative Literature, New York University	4.6	6.8	74%	3.2	3.5	$18,357	7.0	18	0.7	37%	665	665
16.	Comparative Literature, SUNY at Buffalo	4.6	7.0	63%	2.9*	2.9*	$11,959	4.4	19*	2.7*	56%	595	565
18.	Comparative Literature, University of Washington-Seattle Campus	4.3	7.9	71%	3.2	3.4	$12,626	3.8	25	3.2	67%	610	590
19.	Comparative Literature, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	3.8	6.9	59%	2.9*	2.9*	$14,399	4.6	19*	2.7*	57%	680	640
19.	Comparative Literature, University of Rochester	3.8	8.1	75%	2.1	2.5	$17,028	1.2	19	1.1	46%	670	650
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
21.	Comparative Literature, University of Chicago	3.1	8.1	50%	3.3	3.6	$17,977	3.6	22	1.7	40%	715	725
22.	Comparative Literature, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	2.1	6.7	69%*	2.9*	2.9*	$19,372*	1.0	19*	2.7*	78%	600	575
23.	Comparative Literature, Washington University in St Louis	1.7	9.5	62%	2.7	2.7	$16,938	1.4	21	2.3	19%	730	710
24.	Comparative Literature, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	0.3	7.1	45%	2.5	2.4	$14,714	2.6	9	3.8	68%	675	615
25.	Comparative Literature, University of Maryland-College Park	-0.8	7.0	69%*	2.3	2.2	$16,092*	1.4	58	0.5	49%	650	625
26.	Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	-1.0	9.5	67%	2.8	2.5	$12,805	1.0	7	6.6	70%	630	600
27.	Comparative Literature, The University of Texas at Austin	-1.6	6.9	61%	3.1	3.0	$18,426	3.6	44	0.9	51%	630	605
28.	Comparative Literature, SUNY at Binghamton	-2.3	7.0	57%	2.9	2.4	$12,093	5.6	8	8.0	43%	650	615
29.	Comparative Literature, Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway	-2.5	7.4	52%	2.9	2.9	$14,982	5.8	21	1.8	61%	615	580
29.	Comparative Literature, University of Oregon	-2.5	7.7	50%	2.7	2.1	$13,284	3.4	14	2.0	91%	560	555
31.	Comparative Literature, Catholic University of America	-3.1	7.6*	69%*	2.0	1.6	$20,443*	0.6	8	0.4	82%	565	580
32.	Comparative Literature, University of Colorado at Boulder	-3.4	7.9	56%	2.9*	2.9*	$16,035	3.8	19*	2.7*	88%	600	580
33.	Comparative Literature, University of Massachusetts-Amherst	-5.0	8.0	60%	2.5	2.4	$17,645	2.6	10	2.9	80%	575	565
34.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Riverside	-5.3	6.7	69%*	2.6	2.7	$23,083	1.0	35	0.5	74%	565	510
35.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Santa Barbara	-6.6	7.6*	69%*	2.9*	2.9*	$26,038*	1.0	19*	2.7*	53%	600	580
36.	Comparative Literature, University of Arizona	-6.9	7.9	71%	2.3	2.3	$17,468	3.4	35	0.6	88%	565	560
37.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Irvine	-7.2	8.2	50%	3.6	4.1	$24,511	3.8	13	3.1	52%	620	580
37.	Comparative Literature, University of Georgia	-7.2	7.9	69%*	2.9*	2.9*	$25,000	2.0	19*	2.7*	62%	615	610
39.	Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison	-7.4	8.9	69%*	2.7	2.3	$20,413	2.0	8	4.8	71%	650	615
40.	Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	-8.8	9.7	72%	2.8	2.4	$19,153	3.8	7	5.9	36%	650	640
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
41.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Los Angeles	-9.9	8.7	70%	3.3	3.2	$24,007	6.4	28	1.8	23%	665	630
42.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Davis	-12.8	6.2	50%	2.5	2.2	$28,043	3.8	8	2.1	55%	615	565
43.	Comparative Literature, Indiana University-Bloomington	-13.9	10.2	57%	3.0	3.1	$13,216	6.4	24	5.0	85%	560	550
44.	Comparative Literature, University of Iowa	-14.8	8.2	56%	2.8	2.5	$27,018	2.6	11	2.7	84%	600	585
45.	Comparative Literature, University of South Carolina-Columbia	-19.4	10.6	69%*	1.5	1.6	$24,196	1.8	15	0.9	67%	580	570
46.	Comparative Literature, University of California-Berkeley	-20.4	8.3	64%	3.8	4.0	$29,414	10.8	20	4.8	25%	685	645
47.	Comparative Literature, CUNY Graduate School and University Center	-27.2	8.4	52%	2.7	2.2	$24,415*	6.0	6	12.0	51%*	644*	623*

Unranked Comparative Literature Graduate Schools

Item Descriptions

Your Score

Your customized program score is a weighted sum of points for each item. The weights were selected on this page. For an item with importance weight W, a program receives W × S points for being S standard deviations above average. Larger values are better.

Years to Degree (Yrs)

Median time lapse from entering graduate school at the doctorate-granting institution to receipt of doctorate in years. Note that time spent obtaining a master's degree at a different institution is not counted. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Placement Rate (Job)

Percentage of doctorate recipients from the program with definite plans at graduation (either a job or a postdoctoral position). Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Educational Effectiveness (Ed Eff)

Program effectiveness in educating research scholars and scientists, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not Effective" and 5 denoting "Extremely Effective." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Faculty Quality (Fac Qual)

Scholarly quality of program faculty, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not sufficient for doctoral education" and 5 denoting "Distinguished." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Cost Per Year (Cost / Year)

Low yearly cost (tuition, fees, room and board, other expenses) for an out of state student living on campus. Assumes median tuition remission. Your weight = -5. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Doctorates Granted per Year (Deg / Yr)

The average number of doctorates granted by the program per year between 2001 and 2005. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Number of Faculty (# Fac)

Total number of faculty participating in the program. Your weight = -2. Smaller values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Grad Student / Faculty Ratio (Stu / Fac)

The number of graduate students per faculty member. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Undergraduate Acceptance Rate (UG Acc)

The percentage of applicants the institution accepts into its undergraduate programs. Your weight = -1. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Math SAT Score (SAT-M)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile mathematics SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Verbal SAT Score (SAT-V)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile verbal SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Missing Values

Missing values have been replaced with the average value for all programs in the field.

Data Sources

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

IPEDS is an annual, comprehensive set of surveys of all colleges and universities in the United States. The surveys are conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Learn more

National Research Council

The National Research Council conducts assessments of doctoral programs in the United States every 10 to 15 years). The data we use are from the most recent assessment, the 1995 study Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change. Learn more about the NRC study's methods here; order a copy here. The next NRC assessment is scheduled for release in Summer 2009.  Learn more

Survey of Earned Doctorates

The NSF/NIH/NEH/USED/USDA/NASA Survey of Earned Doctorates is an annual survey of all new recipients of doctorates from US universities at graduation. The average of the response rates for the 2000–2004 surveys was 92%.  Learn more

Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

The Survey is an annual assessment of the number and characteristics of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in science, engineering, and health-related fields. It is conducted by the National Science Foundation.  Learn more