U.S. News

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U.S. News 2016 college rankings: Lawrence cited for academic quality, teaching excellence and overall value

Overall academic excellence, exceptional value and terrific teachers earned Lawrence University recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 “America’s Best Colleges” just-released (9/9) report.

U.S.-News-Rankings_newsblogLawrence remained Wisconsin’s highest-ranked liberal arts college at 57th among 235 national liberal arts colleges and universities in the magazine’s 29th annual guide.

Lawrence also was named to U.S. News’ Great Schools/Great Prices list, one of only 40 national liberal arts colleges cited as a great value based on an institution’s academic quality and the 2014-2015 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.

A hallmark of Lawrence — excellent teaching — was recognized on U.S. News’ list of institutions with the best undergraduate teaching. Lawrence tied for 12th on a list of 34 national liberal arts colleges based on a peer assessment survey in which college presidents, provosts and admission deans were asked to identify schools where the faculty has an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.U.S.-News-Rankings_newsblog_2

The guide’s list of best colleges for veterans included Lawrence as well — 42nd among 56 national liberal arts colleges that made the list. To be included on the best colleges for veterans list, a school must be certified for the GI Bill® and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“Rankings get a lot of attention,” said Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid, “but for us, the attention is really on strengthening an environment where every Lawrentian can thrive and succeed. Positive rankings like the ones by U.S. News are nice by-products of the excellent work our faculty, staff and students are doing every day.”

U.S. News’ annual rankings of nearly 1,400 of the nation’s public and private four-year schools are based on data from up to 16 separate factors, each of which 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.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Lawrence Ranked 59th Nationally in U.S. News’ 2014 America’s Best College Guide

Lawrence University was ranked 59th nationally among 240 national liberal arts colleges and universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 “America’s Best Colleges” report released today (9/10).U.S. News Best Colleges Guide_newsblog

No Wisconsin college was ranked higher than Lawrence among eight Wisconsin institutions in the national liberal arts category.

“Rankings are but one way colleges can be compared. We’re focusing our efforts on making Lawrence the best liberal arts experience possible,” said President Mark Burstein. “The strength of our liberal arts and conservatory education will be enjoyed by one of our most diverse classes ever.”

Geographically, nearly 50 percent of this year’s new students hail from states beyond Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, including 12 percent who are from outside the United States, the largest percentage of freshmen international students since at least 2000. Additionally, 19 percent of this year’s freshmen are domestic students of color.

Lawrence’s commitment to close faculty-student interaction and small classes was reflected in its high rate of classes with 20 students or fewer (78 percent). Lawrence was one of only 30 schools among the 240 in the category with that high of a percentage.

For more information on the criteria used in their evaluation of nearly 1,400 of the nation’s public and private four-year colleges, visit U.S. News.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

Lawrence University Cited for Academic Excellence, Distinctive First-Year Program in U.S. News’ Annual Best College’s Guide

For the eighth straight year, Lawrence University’s academic excellence, including one of the country’s most distinctive first-year programs, placed it among the top quarter of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s 20th annual “America’s Best Colleges” report released Friday (8/18).

Lawrence was ranked 53rd among 215 leading national colleges and universities in U.S. News’ “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category. Lawrence was the top-ranked institution in the national category from Wisconsin and Illinois.

In addition, Lawrence was again cited in U.S. News’ distinctive “First-Year Experiences” category for its signature curricular program, Freshman Studies. Lawrence has been included in the first-year experiences list every year since 2001 when U.S. News first introduced its “Programs to Look For” feature. The first-year experiences list is one of eight specialized categories the magazine uses to highlight what it calls “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.”

The specialized categories are not distinguished by institutional size or type, but include those cited as “stellar examples” most frequently in a survey of college presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admission. Institutions featured in the special categories are identified alphabetically rather than by a numerical ranking. Lawrence joined Duke, Princeton and Stanford universities, among other institutions, that were cited for distinctive first-year programs.

For the fourth year in a row, Williams College of Massachusetts earned the magazine’s top ranking among national liberal arts colleges, while Amherst College and Swarthmore College were ranked second and third, respectively.

In compiling its annual “America’s Best Colleges”guide, U.S. News & World Report evaluates nearly 1,400 of the nation’s public and private four-year schools, using data from 15 separate indicators of academic excellence such as 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 such as St. Norbert College or UW-Oshkosh.

Lawrence University Cited for Academic Excellence, Exceptional Value in U.S. News’ Annual Best College’s Guide

Lawrence University’s academic excellence, including one of the country’s most distinctive first-year programs, as well as its exceptional education value were recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 19th annual “America’s Best Colleges” report released Friday (8/19).

For the seventh consecutive year, Lawrence is ranked among the top quarter of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges, placing 53rd among 215 leading national colleges and universities in U.S. News’ “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category. Lawrence was Wisconsin’s top-ranked institution in the national category.

U.S. News also cited Lawrence as an exceptional education value in its “Great Schools, Great Prices” category, which compares an institution’s academic quality to the net cost of attendance. Factoring in need-based financial aid, Lawrence was ranked the country’s 40th best value among the 215 national liberal arts colleges. Lawrence was the only institution in the state ranked in the national best values category.

Lawrence’s distinctive Freshman Studies, the college’s 60-year-old signature curricular program, was recognized for the fourth consecutive year in U.S. News’ “First-Year Experiences” category, one of eight special categories the magazine uses to highlight what it calls “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.”

The eight specialized “programs to look for” are not distinguished by institutional size or type, but include those cited most frequently in a survey of college presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admission. Institutions are not numerically ranked in the special categories, but listed alphabetically. Lawrence joined Duke, Princeton and Stanford universities, among others, who were recognized for first-year programs.

For the third year in a row, Williams College of Massachusetts earned the magazine’s top ranking among national liberal arts colleges, while Amherst College, also of Massachusetts, was ranked second for a third straight time.

In compiling its annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide, U.S. News & World Report evaluates nearly 1,400 of the nation’s public and private four-year schools, using data from 15 separate indicators of academic excellence such as 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 such as St. Norbert College or UW-Oshkosh.