Fairfield University has once again been ranked in the Top 5 percent nationwide in College Factual’s annual Best Quality Rankings. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate level programs across the University received high national placement in categories such as Business, Management & Marketing; Management Information Systems; Accounting; Marketing; Finance & Financial Management; Communication & Journalism; Nursing; and Mental Health & Social Health Services. College Factual analyzes more than 2,000 schools annually to determine its rankings in a variety of categories.

Regionally, Fairfield was ranked #1 in Best School Psychology Master’s Degree Schools; #1 in Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools; #1 in Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools; #1 in Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools; and #2 in Best Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools.

In the “Best Value” category, a ranking for the highest quality majors for the most affordable cost, Fairfield placed in the Top 10-20 percent in the New England region in the following categories:

• #2 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mental Health Counseling
• #3 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Mathematics
• #3 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering
• #3 in Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing
• #3 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mathematics
• #4 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Accounting
• #6 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Clinical Counseling & Applied Psychology
• #7 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Business Administration and Management
• #7 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for English Language & Literature (MFA program)
• #7 in Best Value Master’s Degree College for Nursing
• #8 in Best Value Colleges for Secondary Education
• #12 in Best Value Colleges for Teacher Education Subject Specific

Statewide placements include #1 in Connecticut in Best Management Information Systems Schools; #1 in Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools; #1 in Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools; #1 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools; #1 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master’s Degree Schools; #2 Best Nursing Schools; #3 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools; and #3 Best Health Professional Schools. Fairfield was also ranked #2 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Business Administration and Management in Connecticut, and #2 in Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in Connecticut.

In addition to placing #105 nationally out of 2,576 colleges in the Best Overall Colleges category, 2022 Ranking highlights for Fairfield University also include the following:

Bachelor's Degree Rankings

• #13 and Top 5% in Best Management Information Systems Bachelor’s Degree Schools, as well as #1 in Connecticut.
• #20 and Top 5% in Best International Business Schools.
• #20 and Top 5% in Best Communication & Media Studies Schools, and #1 in Connecticut.
• #25 and Top 5% in Best Marketing Schools
• #27 and Top 5% in Best Accounting Schools
• #29 and Top 5% in Best Finance & Financial Management School
• #79 and Top 5% in Best Business Administration & Management Schools, and #3 in Connecticut.
• #31 and Top 5% in Best Communication and Journalism Schools
• #51 and Top 5% in Best Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools
• #55 and Top 5% in Best Nursing Schools, and #2 in Connecticut
• #56 and Top 5% in Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools Overall
• #132 and Top 10% in Best Health Professional Schools, and #3 in Connecticut

Master's Degree Ranking

• #49 and Top 5% in Best Business, Management & Marketing Master’s Degree Schools
• #15 and Top 5% in Best Mental & Social Health Services Schools
• #20 and Top 5% in Best Communication & Media Studies Schools, and #1 in Connecticut.
• #27 and Top 5% in Best Accounting Schools
• #31 and Top 5% in Best Communication & Journalism Schools
• #55 and Top 5% in Best Nursing Schools, and #2 in Connecticut
• #56 and Top 5% in Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools Overall
• #79 and Top 5% in Best Business Administration & Management Schools, and #3 in Connecticut.
• #95 and Top 10% in Best Master's Degree Schools Ranking.
• #132 and Top 10% in Best Health Professional Schools, and #3 in Connecticut
• #1 out of 7 in Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in Connecticut Ranking.
• #1 out of 9 in Best School Psychology Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region
• #1 out of 14 in Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region Ranking.

• #48 and Top 10% in Best Doctor's Degree Schools
• #55 and Top 5% in Best Nursing Schools, and #2 in Connecticut
• #132 and Top 10% in Best Health Professional Schools, and #3 in Connecticut
• #1 out of 13 in Best Nursing Practice Doctor's Degree Schools in the New England Region
• #2 out of 16 in Best Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
• #2 out of 22 in Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the New England Region

College Factual uses a variety of data sources to calculate its rankings but the core of data comes from U.S. government sources such as the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Center of Education Statistics, Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard data collection.

Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2022 College Ranking

Fairfield was ranked among the Top 25 percent of colleges and universities in the nation, and among the Top 15 percent for Engagement according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Ranking. Among schools in the Northeast region, Fairfield was ranked #76.

Within the “Engagement” category, which considers student engagement, interaction with teachers and students, student recommendation and accredited programs, Fairfield was ranked in the top 100 at #96.

The annual ranking includes the results of the THE U.S. Student Survey, which examines a range of key issues including student engagement with their studies, student/teacher interaction, and satisfaction with their experience, and uses a balanced scorecard approach, with 15 individual performance indicators combining to create an overall score that reflects the broad strength of the institution. Data come from a variety of sources: the U.S. government Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the College Scorecard, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the THE U.S. Student Survey, the THE Academic Survey, and the Elsevier bibliometric dataset.

The overall methodology explores four key areas: Resources which represents 30 percent of the overall ranking; Engagement which represents 20 percent of the overall ranking; Outcomes which represents 40 percent of the overall ranking; and Environment which represents 10 percent.