Saint Mary’s Position in U.S. News National Rankings is Its Best Ever
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579
September 10, 2013 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary's College’s ranking is the highest it has ever been in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges list. Saint Mary's comes in at 76, up from 87 last year. The College’s position has progressively increased since 2009. Access to the national rankings can be found beginning today online at www.usnews.com/colleges or printed in the new “Best Colleges 2014” guidebook, available in stores starting September 24.
Saint Mary’s College President Carol Ann Mooney set a goal early in her presidency, which began in June 2004, to move Saint Mary’s into the national liberal arts rankings. “I am not surprised that Saint Mary’s College continues to ascend in the U.S. News rankings,” said Mooney. “Students graduate from Saint Mary’s with an education that challenges their minds, awakens their imaginations, and instills in them the desire to leave the world a better place. They are supported by dedicated faculty and a campus community that helps them to succeed.”
Saint Mary’s College’s strong graduation and retention rates are among the factors that contribute to its performance in the U.S. News rankings. At Saint Mary’s, approximately 93 percent of students who graduate earn a degree in four years. This is favorable in comparison to the percentage of graduates that complete a degree in four years at other non-profit private (78 percent) and public institutions (52 percent).* Saint Mary’s is so confident its students will graduate in four years, this fall it rolled out its Four Year Graduation Promise. Starting with the Class of 2017, students who follow the promise’s guidelines are guaranteed to graduate in four years or the College will pay for any additional courses a student needs to earn her degree.
The U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, is a tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. There are other rankings and indicators of academic quality as well. Last month, The Princeton Review rated Saint Mary’s College among the Best Colleges in the Midwest for the eleventh year in a row. U.S. News and The Princeton Review, along with other resources such as the University and College Accountability Network (UCAN), College Navigator, and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), enable those involved in a college search to garner information about Saint Mary’s and other institutions.
*These figures are based on the percentage of total graduates in eight years who graduate in four-years or less. Data comes from the National Center for Educational Statistics IPEDS Data Center using the 2003 entering cohort data graduating in eight years.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary's College ranks 76 among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2014 published by U.S. News. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.