Stonehill Touted a “Best National Liberal Arts College” by U.S. News

August 17, 2010

For the fourth consecutive year since moving into the category of "National Liberal Arts Colleges," Stonehill ranked in the top tier of schools, improving to 105th in the 2011 edition of the annual U.S. News Media Group Best Colleges guide.

"We are grateful for the recognition accorded to us in U.S. News. Our progress is a tribute to our faculty, the strength of our curriculum and the resources and opportunities we provide to our students. When combined with several other recent rankings that have rated the College favorably, we know that our academic reputation continues to gain wider respect. And ultimately, it is the success of our students that guides our efforts," said Stonehill President Fr. Mark Cregan, C.S.C.

The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available for viewing at www.usnews.com/colleges, and will also be published in the September issue of U.S.News & World Report, on newsstands starting August 31.

The College's 105th ranking represents a seven place jump from the 2010 survey. Last year, the College was singled out as a "Top Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News but this year the magazine did not run that category.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.

The 2011 Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, "graduation rate performance" and high school counselor ratings of colleges. U.S. News has made some significant changes to the 2011 Best Colleges' ranking methodology and presentation.

For more details on these changes, go to www.usnews.com/collegemeth.

U.S. News Survey Breakdown

Overall Score: 53
Average freshman retention rate : 88%
2009 graduation rate (predicted/actual): 75%/82%
% of classes under 20: 42%
% of classes of 50 or more: 0.4%
% of faculty full-time: 82%
SAT 25th-75th percentile ('09): 1120-1280
Freshman in the top 10% of HS ('09): 50%
Acceptance rate ('09): 56%
Average alumni giving rate: 20%

Contact

For more information, contact Communications and Media Relations at 508-565-1321.