Finding a college that offers rigorous coursework at an affordable price which yields a competitive future earnings is hard enough. Add close proximity to the beach, and your options are limited.
Money.com did just that, and pegged the best US colleges for people who love the beach.
The ranking started out with the same analysis of colleges as the main list "The best colleges for your money," evaluating them on 27 factors within three broad categories: educational quality, affordability, and alumni success. Money.com analyzed data on student loans and median career earnings on students with business majors five years after graduation. See the full methodology here.
The site then whittled the list to just those with easy beach access, setting parameters that only five schools from one state (sorry, California) and one school per city could make the list.
Take a look below to see the best colleges if you love the beach.
10. University of North Carolina-Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Overall ranking: 426
Proximity to the closest beach: 7 miles
9. University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Overall ranking: 399
Proximity to the closest beach: 10 miles
8. University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
Overall ranking: 345
Proximity to the closest beach: 3 miles
7. California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Overall ranking: 121
Proximity to the closest beach: 3 miles
6. University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Overall ranking: 114
Proximity to the closest beach: 4 miles
5. University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Overall ranking: 93
Proximity to the closest beach: less than a mile
4. Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Overall ranking: 67
Proximity to the closest beach: 10 miles
3. Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut
Overall ranking: 56
Proximity to the closest beach: 3 miles
2. University of California-San Diego
San Diego, California
Overall ranking: 32
Proximity to the closest beach: less than a mile
1. University of California-Irvine
Irvine, California
Overall ranking: 13
Proximity to the closest beach: 7 miles
Abby Jackson Before joining Business Insider, Abby was at JPMorgan where she worked in the chief investment office and treasury. Previously, she worked in education policy in Washington, DC, dealing with standards-based reform and the Common Core. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyjsdKtZJynnKGyqLHSZpqlp6OaerW7jK2fnmWSmq6ktIxrZ2pvXWw%3D