The American Institute for Economic Research ranked each of the 222 cities and towns with a student population of more than 15,000, which were the classified as major metros, mid-size metros, small cities or college towns. The respective winners in each category were: San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; Boulder, Colorado and Ithaca, New York.
"Deciding what school to attend should involve more than what the school itself has to offer," says Keming Liang, AIER's lead researcher on the project. "Where to attend college is just as important, because like the colleges themselves, the towns and cities in which they are located vary widely in the opportunities they offer students and recent graduates."
Cities in the study were ranked according to 12 different factors, including the concentration of students, cost of living, earning potential and the unemployment rate.
Each of the cities was helped by a strong reputation among students consider relocation for school. Each of them also finished at the top of their respective categories in last year's study as well.
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