Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
¾¨Ó㴫ý was included in the "Great Schools, Great Prices" list in the U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Best Colleges guide and also ranked in the top ten in Graduation Rate Performance.
According to U.S. News, the "Great Schools, Great Prices" category attempts to show which colleges and universities offer students the best value based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance. U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically and rank in the top half of academic categories.
¾¨Ó㴫ý was one of only four Pennsylvania colleges included in "Great Schools, Great Prices" along with Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr. Amherst College in Massachusetts topped the list. ¾¨Ó㴫ý ranked 35th among 266 National Liberal Arts Colleges with 83% of students receiving need-based grants and a $20,067 average cost after receiving need-based grants.
¾¨Ó㴫ý ranked tied for eighth in Graduate Rate Performance among National Liberal Arts Colleges. The category measures educational outcomes based on the difference between a school's actual graduation rate the one predicted by U.S. News based on the students' test scores and institutional resources. ¾¨Ó㴫ý's 77% graduation rate was 12 percent higher than predicted.
¾¨Ó㴫ý was once again recognized as a top tier National Liberal Arts College by U.S. News. ¾¨Ó㴫ý ranked tied for 119th overall.
"One of the tenets of our Advantage: ¾¨Ó㴫ý Strategic Plan is that ¾¨Ó㴫ý will remain a high-value liberal arts college, providing recognized excellence in undergraduate education at a competitive price," said ¾¨Ó㴫ý President Dr. Richard Dorman. "Research on the impact of college on students has repeatedly and conclusively demonstrated that the strongest intellectual and social development of students occurs at smaller, private, liberal arts colleges. However, the cost of those colleges is rapidly exceeding family affordability. ¾¨Ó㴫ý remains an affordable choice while maintaining a commitment to educational excellence and exceptional student outcomes."
The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available at . This year 266 colleges were included in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category and these institutions emphasize undergraduate education and award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the arts and sciences.
