^Outcomes criteria, particularly the value added and student debt factors may explain Maryland’s outcome ranking :
"We look at the graduation rates for each institution (11%) – a crucial way to help students to understand whether colleges have a strong track record in supporting students enough to get them through their course and ensure that they complete their degrees…
This pillar also includes a value-added indicator, measuring the value added by the teaching at a college to salary (12%). Using a value-added approach means that the ranking does not simply reward the colleges that cream off all the very best students, and shepherd them into the jobs that provide the highest salaries in absolute terms. Instead it looks at the success of the college in transforming people’s life chances, in “adding value” to their likelihood of success. The THE data team uses statistical modelling to create an expected graduate salary for each college based on a wide range of factors, such as the make-up of its students and the characteristics of the institution. The ranking looks at how far the college either exceeds expectations in getting students higher average salaries than one would predict based on its students and its characteristics, or falls below what is expected. The value-added analysis uses research on this topic by Brookings Institution, among others, as a guide.
A new metric this year is debt after graduation (7%). The concern over student debt and the cost of higher education in general has come to the forefront of public discussion recently…
This pillar also looks at the overall academic reputation of the college (10%), based on THE’s annual Academic Reputation Survey, a survey of leading scholars that helps us determine which institutions have the best reputation for excellence in teaching. We used the total teaching votes from our 2017 and 2018 reputation surveys."