Head coach Jay Wright and his Wildcats will be facing Matt Painter’s Boilermakers in the next round of the NCAA Championship. We’re still waiting to see how Villanova will fare in that game, but there are several other contests where Villanova has already been crowned the victor.
Ranking the Basketball Program at Villanova
College Factual’s sports rankings take into account how students perform both on and off the court to identify those schools where students are more likely to obtain post-college success after playing college ball. Since less than 1% of student athletes go on to play professional sports, this is an extremely important ranking.
For the 2019 College Factual rankings, Villanova comes in at #5 for Division I Men’s Basketball. This puts the school’s basketball program in the top 5% of all Division I programs that were reviewed in the nationwide analysis.
Purdue, on the other hand, landed the #19 spot. So, Villanova wins in this category.
Villanova has had a strong season with its 25-9 win-loss record, but that’s not the only thing this Big East Conference school is known for. Let’s take a look at other areas where Villanova is a clear winner.
Note: Factors used in College Factual’s rankings include athletic competitiveness, overall quality of school, and financial resources available to the team.
Outcomes of Villanova Students
Great Academic Progress Rate
One important tool used to measure the academic performance of a college basketball team is the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Villanova’s APR is 1000, which is 35 points higher than Purdue’s APR of 965.
Having a high APR is important for many reasons. For one, it’s a good indicator that you’ll be able to graduate on time with a degree in hand. For another, it means your team is less likely to receive a sanction from the NCAA that could restrict scholarship money or even prevent you from participating in postseason play.
Make More Money
One way to measure post-college success is to look at how much money you’ll make after you get your degree. The average entry-level salary for a Villanova graduate is $51,262, while the average for a Purdue graduate is $44,902.
That 14.2% difference in salary adds up over time, and it could even help you pay off any student loans or buy a new home faster.
More Likely to Graduate on Time
The longer you spend working on your degree, the more the bills will stack up. So, by finishing college on time, you could end up spending tens of thousands of dollars less than those students who took a year or more longer to graduate.
Villanova students should be smiling since their average time to graduate is 4.1 years, while Purdue students spend an average of 4.4 years working in their degrees.
Less Likely to Default on Student Loans
If you’re lucky, you won’t have to take out any student loans for college, but for those that do, it’s a good idea to know upfront that you’ll be able to pay them back. One indicator of this is a school’s student loan default rate.
Villanova’s student loan default rate is only 1.3% while Purdue’s is 2.5%. This means that Villanova graduates are more likely to be able to make their student loan payments than Purdue graduates.
Off the Court: Other Rankings
Educational Quality
College Factual’s quality ranking is based on factors such as student outcomes, average student test scores, degree completion, and post-graduate earnings.
In terms of overall school quality, Villanova ranks #70 out of 1.779 schools. This puts Villanova solidly in the top 5% of all schools in the country.
This is 34 positions higher than Purdue’s ranking of #104.
Diversity
Diversity is another important aspect of student life, and a diverse college experience can help prepare students for their future careers. College Factual’s diversity rankings take four factors into account — age, race, gender, and geographic origin of students on campus.
Out of the 2238 colleges in the nation that were looked at in this ranking, Villanova came in at #164. This puts Villanova in the top 10% countrywide, making it an excellent choice for students who want to meet others from all types of backgrounds. Purdue is ranked at #467.
Villanova Fast Facts
- Veterans may appreciate that there are 1421 GI Bill® recipients at Villanova, while Purdue has 633.
- The average cost per year to attend Villanova is $52,874, while the average cost to attend Purdue is $33,130.
- Villanova has approximately 6,950 undergraduates, while Purdue has 32,132.
- The freshman retention rate at Villanova is 95%, while it is only 91% at Purdue. This means fewer freshmen transfer or drop out from Villanova.
- Villanova has a 4-year graduation rate of 86%, while Purdue’s is only 49%
If you want to continue comparing Villanova and Purdue head-to-head on the factors that matter the most to you, check out College Factual’s free tool, College Combat®.
