Coursera University Partners are Recognized Among Forbes Top 10 List of “New Ivies”

For a second year, Forbes has recognized a top ten list of “New Ivies.” These university graduates are said to be “outpacing most Ivy Leaguers in the eyes of employers” with similarly selective admissions processes and rigorous coursework. 

Among the 10 ranked public schools, Coursera proudly partners with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pittsburgh to host their degree programs, 100% online. In terms of the top 10 private universities, Coursera partner Georgetown University takes 3rd. 

Employer endorsement

In speaking with over 380 C-suite executives, Forbes deemed that employers might be reconsidering their prior affinity of Ivy League grads. The article notes that out of the executives surveyed, “Forty-two percent said public colleges were doing a better job at preparing entry-level job candidates than they were five years ago.” Egos, groupthink, and lack of job readiness were all cited as rationales for potentially pivoting the hiring pool away from what it might have once been. 

The growing credibility of online degrees

Expanded ways of thinking about talent acquisition don’t start and stop with which university a candidate graduated from. Non-traditional, online learning has also been increasingly accepted by employers, especially post-pandemic. 

Champlain College’s 2023 national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults reported that 84% believe employers are more accepting of online degrees today than before the pandemic and 72% of adults feel an online education is more reputable now than five years ago.

Proving this hypothesis is a 2024 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) which found 87.4% of employers had hired new graduates with an online degree and 100% of those employers paid online degree hires the same starting salary as traditional graduates​. This indicates near-parity in how online credentials are being treated, namely from universities that made the “New Ivies” list. 

Online degree programs built for Coursera

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and Georgetown University partner with Coursera to offer some of their rigorous and career-aligned degrees, 100% online. Though none of these institutions are traditional Ivy Leagues, these esteemed universities are producing graduates that top employers respect. By partnering with Coursera to deliver their online degrees, these Universities are able to offer their students high-quality faculty-led instruction with the support of a platform that is working to upskill and reskills millions of learners across the globe. 

We applaud each of our university partners for the Forbes accolades and for continuing to innovate and lead with forward-thinking approaches to delivering their high-quality instruction, online. These opportunities have paved the way for learners around the globe to achieve a top education and turn their ambitions into real-world success.

Read the Full Forbes article here

Sources
Forbes: The New Ivies 2025: 20 Great Colleges Employers Love

JOB OUTLOOK 2024 (National Association of Colleges and Employers)

2023 Survey Shows Online Degrees are More Accepted and Respected Than Ever (Chaplain College Online)

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