Media Contact: Nicole Funaro, nicole.funaro@fairfield.edu, 203-254-4000 x3498

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (August 21, 2019) — Fairfield University has been named No. 2 Best Value College in Connecticut in research site Niche’s 2020 Best Colleges ranking, coming in just behind Yale University based on a calculation of net price, alumni earnings, graduation rate and student debt data. Fairfield also placed one spot higher on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges in Connecticut, placing No. 4 out of 23 schools Additionally, Fairfield earned top 5 placement in several statewide rankings, including Best Colleges for Nursing (No. 1), Best Colleges for Business (No. 2), Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance (No. 2), Best College Locations (No. 3), Best College Campuses (No. 3), Top Private Universities (No. 3), Best Colleges (No. 4), Colleges with Best Student Life (No. 4), Safest College Campuses (No. 5), and Best College Dorms (No. 5).

Regionally, Fairfield continued to earn high marks in Niche’s 2020 college rankings, awarded top 10 spots on their Best Value Colleges in the New York City Area list (No. 5) and their overall Best Colleges in the New York City area list (No. 9).

The University’s accolades continued in the nationwide rankings, with Fairfield placing in the top 6% of colleges nationwide on Niche’s overall 2020 Best Value Colleges in America list, earning a No. 87 spot out of 1,592 schools included in the review. Additionally, Fairfield was named to the top 10% on several national lists, including Best Test Optional Colleges in America (No. 12 of 122), and Best Colleges for Nursing in America (No. 43 of 618). Fairfield also improved their standing in their Best Catholic Colleges in America list, jumping four spots to No. 16 of 164 on this year’s ranking.

The national distinctions continued with top 20% rankings on lists including Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in America (top 11%. Fairfield jumped 14 spots on Niche’s ranking of Top Private Universities in America from last year, placing No. 132 out of 958 schools, while also improving its place on the overall Best Colleges in America list by 39 spots, placing No. 205 out of 1,626 schools ranking in the review.

These rankings — state, regional, and national — were compiled based on analyses of academics, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as millions of college reviews from students and alumni, which examined data such as university value, quality of academics, quality of professors, quality of the campus, safety, and overall student life and experience.

For more information on Fairfield rankings, visit fairfield.edu/rankings.

Posted On: August 21, 2019

Volume: 52 Number: 11

Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools.  In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.