Richmond ranks in top tier in U.S. News’ annual guide
U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Richmond in the top tier of the prestigious “best liberal arts colleges” category in its annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue that hit newsstands in late August. Richmond also was named to the magazine’s list of “great schools, great prices” in the liberal arts category.
It is the first time that Richmond has been ranked in the national liberal arts category, which includes 215 schools throughout the country. Richmond tied for 34th place.
“We are pleased to be included in the top tier of national liberal arts colleges and will continue efforts to build distinctive programs at the highest level of academic quality,” said President Bill Cooper.
For the past 11 years, Richmond had been ranked as the top school in the magazine’s “master’s universities-South” category but changed categories this year following a reclassification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching last December. The Carnegie Foundation administers the official classification system for all U.S. colleges and universities. U.S.
News bases its various categories on the Carnegie classifications.
Richmond requested the change to the new category because it includes primarily undergraduate colleges that award at least half of their baccalaureate degrees in the liberal arts. Many of America’s leading, small private colleges are in the baccalaureate liberal arts category and compete with Richmond for students, faculty, staff and resources.
“We requested this change because Richmond compares more closely across a variety of measures to nationally ranked liberal arts colleges than to regionally ranked master’s universities,” said Cooper.
Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley and Carleton colleges ranked first through fifth, respectively, in the national liberal arts category in this year’s rankings. Richmond ranked ahead of such schools as Franklin and Marshall, Furman, Occidental, Dickinson and Rhodes.
Also, Richmond was ranked 35th out of 40 schools in the magazine’s best values rankings for liberal arts colleges. U.S.
News determines these rankings based on a school’s academic quality compared to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. Richmond is the only university in Virginia, and one of fewer than 40 universities in the country, to meet 100 percent of an undergraduate student’s demonstrated need while remaining “need-blind” in admission decisions.
“It’s especially satisfying for the University to be recognized not only for the high quality of its academic programs, but also for its affordability because of the significant amount of financial aid we offer,” said Cooper.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2006 and The Princeton Review’s The
Best 361 Colleges for 2006 have selected the University for inclusion in their annual reviews of the best colleges in the country.
The Fiske guide, written by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, blends statistical information and personal descriptions of campus cultures and lifestyles of each school. Richmond received special recognition in the 2006 edition for strength in business and international studies.
The Princeton Review awarded Richmond high scores in the areas of academics, student selectivity, financial aid and campus life. In addition, the guide ranked Richmond among the 20 most beautiful college campuses in the country.
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