TIME’s new outcomes-focused college list names Stonehill among best in nation

With a strong focus on earnings, graduation rates and return on investment, TIME magazine recently named Stonehill College one of the 500 best colleges in the United States.

Editors of the publication’s America’s Best Colleges of 2026–2027 list approached the project with an understanding that the job market has become more technical and competitive. In addition, they recognized that families are looking for schools that best position their graduates to succeed at securing positions that align with their professional goals and offer the greatest promise of rewarding careers.

“TIME and Statista evaluate U.S. colleges with a focus on three pillars: student outcomes, learning environment, and attractiveness,” the magazine stated when it released its list. “This framework retains classical components used in higher education assessments, such as the instructional environment and institutional resources, while placing particular emphasis on what students gain from attending an institution relative to its cost.”

For student outcomes, editors analyzed data around graduate earnings, graduation rate and return on education — the financial payoff of attending an institution relative to its cost. 

Stonehill’s mentoring faculty and extensive array of support services helped it in the learning environment element of the rankings, which assesses the quality of the instructional setting and community that an institution provides for its undergraduate students.

Attractiveness measured the degree to which an institution is genuinely sought after by prospective students.

Stonehill’s inclusion reflects its commitment to the exceptional academics, mentoring and career advising that consistently result in graduates launching careers in many of the country’s most successful organizations along with placement in highly competitive graduate programs and prestigious postgraduate service organizations.