‘U.S. News’ and Forbes rankings include Goshen College among best liberal arts colleges
GOSHEN, Ind. — The annual college rankings have hit the presses, and Goshen College was again included by “U.S. News & World Report” and Forbes magazine on their lists of best U.S. colleges.
Goshen College placed 137th out of 266 national liberal arts colleges in the 2011 “Best Colleges” rankings by “U.S. News & World Report.” Of special note, from the 1,400 accredited four-year schools that the publication ranks, it was included on an exclusive list of 29 colleges and universities with the best service-learning programs. In addition, Goshen was ranked eighth for the percentage of graduates studying abroad among all colleges and universities, with 85 percent.
“U.S. News & World Report” categorizes institutions by mission and ranks them based on data in 16 areas related to academic excellence such as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, graduation rate performance and high school counselor ratings. The “Liberal Arts” category, in which Goshen College is ranked, is defined as schools emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of degrees in the liberal arts.
Many of the rankings and some articles from the “Best Colleges” guidebook appear in the September 2010 edition of “U.S. News & World Report” that will reach newsstands Aug. 31. All 2011 rankings are available on the magazine’s Web site at www.usnews.com.
Forbes magazine ranked the college 268th on an elite list of 610 institutions – selected from the more than 4,000 total U.S. colleges and universities – based on its student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards. Among the 16 Indiana schools included on the list, Goshen College was ranked seventh. Among 150 schools in the Midwest, Goshen ranked 61st.
Liberal arts colleges and private schools dominated the rankings; 45 of the top 50 schools are private. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are more than 4,000 college campuses in the United States. Forbes and CCAP evaluated only 600 of the top undergraduate institutions, or 15 percent.
According to Forbes and CCAP, America’s Best College rankings are focused on measuring how well colleges meet student needs. The third year of ratings were released earlier this month by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity of Washington, D.C., which conducts research on higher education issues. Learn more at www.forbes.com or www.centerforcollegeaffordability.org.
“U.S. News & World Report”: COLLEGE’S WITH THE MOST STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD
Rankings by “U.S. News & World Report” of the percent of 2009 graduates participating in international study abroad programs.
Lee University (Cleveland, TN) – 100%
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH) – 100%
Goucher College (Baltimore, MD) – 100%
California Maritime Academy (Vallejo, CA) – 100%
Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC) – 92%
Yeshiva University (New York, NY) – 90%
Centre College (Danville, KY) – 85%
Goshen College – 85%
Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI) – 83%
Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore, MD) – 81%
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“U.S. News & World Report”: BEST COLLEGES – SERVICE LEARNING
In service-learning programs, volunteering in the community is an instructional strategy — and a requirement of a student’s coursework. The service relates to what happens in class and vice versa.
Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI)
Bates College (Lewiston, ME)
Berea (Ky.) College
Berry College (Mount Berry, GA)
Brown University (Providence, RI)
Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI)
DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
Duke University (Durham, NC)
Earlham College (Richmond, IN)
Elon (N.C.) University
Goshen (Ind.) College
Indiana University-Purdue University—Indianapolis (Ind.)
Loyola University New Orleans (La.)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Millsaps College (Jackson, MS)
Niagara University (NY)
Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
Ohio State University—Columbus
Portland (Ore.) State University
Stanford (Calif.) University
Tufts University (Medford, MA)
Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)
University of Maryland—College Park
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame (Ind.)
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Wagner College (Staten Island, NY)
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FORBES’ TOP RANKED INDIANA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Rankings by Forbes.com for 2010 (and 2009 rankings in parentheses) and costs, including tuition, fees, room and board, books and other expenses.
No. 33, University of Notre Dame (50) – $49,030
No. 42, Wabash College (32) – $37,7550
No. 64, DePauw University (47) – $42,175
No. 145, Earlham College (91) – $42,694
No. 183, Hanover College (133) – $35,120
No. 222, Indiana University, Bloomington (266) – $36,343
No. 268, Goshen College (177) – $32,290
No. 273, Taylor University (335) – $33,498
No. 289, Huntington University (97) – $29,390
No. 296, University of Evansville (303) – $36,875
No. 332, Butler University (329) – $40,526
No. 362, Purdue University, West Lafayette (507) – $34,294
No. 372, St. Mary’s College (435) – $39,948
No. 466, Valparaiso University (520) – $37,410
No. 494, Ball State University (513) – $30,504
No. 520, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (404) – $31,882
Editors: For more information about this release, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.