College rankings again include Goshen College among best in the country

The annual college rankings have hit the presses, and Goshen College was again included by U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly and Forbes publications on their lists of best U.S. colleges. It was also again named a “College of Distinction.”

U.S. News & World Report

Goshen College placed 140th out of 239 national liberal arts colleges in the 2013 “Best Colleges” rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which is nearly the same as last year’s ranking (139th).

Of special note, Goshen College was included on an exclusive list for being an “A-plus School for B Students,” which is a list of colleges that are highly rated and also “accept a significant number of students with nonstratospheric transcripts.” High school counselors ranked the college 114th for best liberal arts colleges. In addition, Goshen College was on lists of schools with the highest rates of students studying abroad and the highest percentage of international students.

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.

Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly ranked Goshen College 146th on the list of 254 liberal arts colleges.

With very different criteria than other well-known college rankings, Washington Monthly highlights colleges whose students, faculty, and alumni provide “contributions to public good.” Its rankings are based on three broad, equally weighed categories. The social mobility category investigates recruiting and graduating low-income students. The research category considers cutting edge scholarship and the number of alumni who earn doctorates. And the last category looks for service to community and country.

Colleges of Distinction

For 2012-2013, Goshen College also was among only 200 U.S. colleges and universities to be named a “College of Distinction” for providing students with the highest level of undergraduate education and continuing to demonstrate its commitment to four distinctions: “Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Communities and Successful Outcomes.” Only eight Indiana schools are on the list.

Colleges of Distinction is a college guide which seeks to determine which colleges are the best places to learn, to grow, and to succeed and evaluates the success of its graduates, the quality of its teaching, the atmosphere of its campus, and other factors. Admission experts help rank the colleges. Learn more at collegesofdistinctions.com.

Forbes

Forbes magazine ranked the college 388th on an elite list of 650 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 (so Forbes now ranks Goshen College among the top 9.7 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities). Among all Midwestern colleges, Goshen College ranked 90th, and among all private colleges, it ranked 286th.

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.