Using new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, a recently published Georgetown study, titled "Ranking 4,500 Colleges by ROI (2022)," determined that Fairfield University is a national leader once again for return on investment 40 years after graduation. According to this year’s report, Fairfield University moved up to #54 (from #62 in 2019) among all institutions, placing in the Top 1% for ROI. The University also ranked high up for its average alumni earning potential ten years after graduation ($141,000).

In addition to ROI metrics that include students’ income potential after graduation, graduation rate, and average debt, Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) analyzed a new metric that “measures the share of students at an institution whose earnings 10 years after enrollment are higher than those of workers with a high school diploma as their highest level of education.”

Statewide, Fairfield placed second in Connecticut after Yale University (#37), and surpassed schools such as Wesleyan, Trinity, Connecticut College, University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart University in the 40-year value ranking.

Among Jesuit Colleges nationwide, Fairfield was fourth, in the company of Georgetown, Santa Clara University, and Boston College.

In other national rankings, Fairfield was recently ranked among the top 25 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S., and among the top 15 percent for engagement, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Ranking. The University was ranked in the top 5 percent nationwide in College Factual’s annual Best Quality Rankings.

Notably, the most recent update of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, released in December 2021, elevated Fairfield University to the doctoral classification, as one of 73 new doctoral/professional institutions to be added to this category. Fairfield was formerly classified among master’s degree-granting institutions.