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

September 13, 2011

For the fifth straight year since moving into the category of "National Liberal Arts Colleges," Stonehill has been named a top tier "Best National Liberal Arts College" by U.S.News & World Report in its 2012 edition of Best Colleges. Additionally, the College was named an "A+ School for B Students."

Stonehill ranked in at No. 112 among 178 top tier liberal arts schools nationwide. Full rankings are available for viewing at www.usnews.com/colleges and will also be published in the Best Colleges book on newsstands beginning September 20.

Among the 178 top tier "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges," Stonehill's 85 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2010 ranked 40th overall.

In the 2010 edition of Best Colleges, Stonehill was singled out as a "Top Up-and-Coming School. Before transitioning into the "National Liberal Arts" category in 2008, Stonehill held a No. 1 ranking in what was then called the "Comprehensive-Bachelor's (North)" category from 2001-2007.

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 2012 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.

For more details on the methodology used in determining the rankings, go to www.usnews.com/collegemeth.

U.S. News Survey Breakdown

Overall Score: 54
Average freshman retention rate : 89%
2010 graduation rate (predicted/actual): 82%/85%
% of classes under 20: 39%
% of classes of 50 or more: 0.3%
% of faculty full-time: 82%
SAT 25th-75th percentile ('09): 1110-1270*
Freshman in the top 10% of HS ('10): 35%
Acceptance rate ('10): 64%
Average alumni giving rate: 20%

*SAT/ACT not required

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