By GINNY COOPER / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO—The Atlantic, a literary and cultural commentary magazine, recently released an article, which names the University of Montevallo among the top 11 colleges labeled as the “biggest waste of money.”

The Atlantic used research gathered by PayScale, a website where individuals self-report their earnings.

The schools listed as the worst investment are schools where “PayScale determined that not going to college is at least $30,000 more valuable than taking the time to pay for and graduate from one of these schools,” according to the article.

The Atlantic adds caveats to the data. All of the data used in the study was self-reported, so accuracy cannot be guaranteed. In addition, PayScale calculates the next 20 years by looking at the last 20 years, which is not always entirely accurate, according to the report.

University of Montevallo, which ranked sixth on the list of least valuable colleges, is consistently highly ranked on other, “more comprehensive” studies, according to University of Montevallo President John Stewart.

In 2013, the University of Montevallo was ranked as the No. 1 master’s level university in Alabama and the 13th best in the Southeast, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“I’m disappointed in a rubric that seems to value what graduates earn fresh out of school that rewards technical training in large metro areas,” Stewart said. “I’m encouraged by more long-lived and comprehensive high education ranking, which recognize the contributions and high level of success our alumni are reaching.”