Central Fla. named least rigorous school

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ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The University of Central Florida was dubbed the least rigorous college in the United States by the Newsweek & The Daily Beast College Rankings 2012.

Newsweek said the school was chosen as the least rigorous based on the percent of applicants admitted, median SAT and ACT stores, the student-to-faculty ratio, and a manageability workload score determined by the Web site College Prowler. The magazine said it used the same methods to dub Columbia University as the most rigorous in the nation.

The rankings took debt, total cost, financial aid, and future earnings into account to name the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the most affordable school in the United States, with the average $55,270 cost per-year being eventually offset by graduates making a $69,700 median starter salary and a mid-career median salary of $115,000.

Connecticut's Sacred Heart University was dubbed the least affordable school, with students paying an average $50,500 and only making a median salary of $69,500 by the middle of their careers.

Missouri's Washington University in St. Louis was named the most stressful U.S. college, based on categories including undergraduate enrollment, total cost per year, percentage of students receiving financial aid, the average amount of financial aid, percentage of applicants admitted and a crime ranking.