APPLETON, WIS. — For the 10th consecutive year, Lawrence University has landed among the top quarter of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 “America’s Best Colleges” report released today (8/22).
Lawrence was the top-ranked institution in Wisconsin and 56th overall among 248 national colleges and universities in the magazine’s “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category.
Among the factors used in determining the rankings, Lawrence again had strong showings in the areas of graduation rate (79 percent), acceptance rate (56 percent), percent of classes with fewer than 20 students (75 percent) and alumni giving rate (46 percent).
“We’re happy that U.S. News continues to recognize Lawrence as being among the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges,” said Director of Admissions Ken Anselment. “But we also remind students that these rankings — while interesting and fun to talk about — never give you all the information you need to make a good decision about a college. Campus visits are a much better way for students and their families to evaluate whether a college’s academics, community and environment are the right fit.”
In its report, U.S. News also includes lists and rankings of a wide variety of other niche categories. In a survey of guidance counselors from America’s best high schools who were asked which liberal arts colleges they think offer the best education to their students, Lawrence was ranked 42nd nationally. And in a reaffirmation of its status as a residential campus, Lawrence tied for 29th nationally in the percentage of students (97) who reside in university-provided housing.
Williams College, the top-ranked institution the past five years in the national liberal arts college category, shared the no. 1 ranking this year with Amherst College, last year’s runner-up. Swarthmore College was ranked third. Ivy Leaguers Harvard, Princeton and Yale were ranked first, second and third, respectively, in U.S. News’ national universities category.
In compiling its annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide, U.S. News & World Report evaluates nearly 1,500 of the nation’s public and private four-year schools, using data from 15 separate indicators of academic excellence such as peer assessment, selectivity, graduation rates, student retention, faculty resources and alumni satisfaction. Each factor is assigned a “weight” that reflects the magazine editor’s judgment as to how much that measure matters. Each school’s composite weighted score is then compared to peer institutions to determine final rankings.
Institutions are divided into several distinct categories. In addition to the best liberal arts college category that measures national institutions like Lawrence, other rankings are based on universities that grant master and doctorate degrees and colleges that are considered “regional” institutions.
