Fairfield University #1 in Best Regional Universities — North by 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking

Fairfield University #1 in Best Regional Universities — North by 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking

Media Contact: Susan Cipollaro, scipollaro@fairfield.edu , 203-254-4000, ext. 2726

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (September 10, 2018)—Fairfield University has risen to #1 in the Northern Region in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2019 ranking, up from number three last year, signifying its continued upward trajectory.Fairfield also placed in the top five in the “Most Innovative School” subcategory for Regional Universities in the North, tying for #5 with Champlain College and Thomas Jefferson University.

Colleges and universities included in the Regional Colleges ranking offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master’s degree programs and are divided and ranked in four geographical groups: North, South, Midwest and West.

According to U.S. News & World Report , “The rankings formula uses exclusively statistical quantitative and qualitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality,” and evaluates colleges and universities on 16 measures of excellence. U.S. News followed the accepted standard in U.S. higher education, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system to determine each schools’ placement into the 2019 edition ranking categories. New methodology used for this year’s ranking considered Pell Grant graduation rates and did not consider an institution’s acceptance rates.

For the 2019 edition, Fairfield rose in the following areas: Peer Assessment score; SAT scores jumped from 1110-1270 to 1180-1320; first-year students in the top 25% of their high school class increased significantly from 67% to 79%; and the two-year average of Alumni Giving increased.

To determine “Most Innovative Schools” rankings, in a separate section of the annual U.S. News peer assessment survey, college presidents, provosts and admissions deans were asked to nominate up to 15 colleges or universities in their U.S. News Best Colleges ranking category, that “are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.”

“We are excited and gratified that Fairfield’s commitment to modern excellence as a values-based, student-centric, outcomes-focused institution continues to be recognized by leading publications,” said Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD.

In addition to U.S. News’ rankings, The Princeton Review, Forbes, Time’s Money magazine and The Wall Street Journal /Times Higher Education, named Fairfield among the best schools in the nation.

Time’s Money magazine’s annual “ Best Colleges for Your Money ” ranking places Fairfield among the top 100 private universities in the country.

Fairfield’s top 10 ranking for " Most Transformative Colleges ," recognizes the institution’s commitment to holistic formation, and places Fairfield as the highest-ranking Jesuit university in that category. The "Most Transformative Colleges" were ranked according to Money magazine’s “exclusive value-added scores for graduation rates, earnings, and student loan repayment.”

In its 11 th year, Forbes’ 2018 list of America’s Top Colleges focuses on “the direct benefits schools provide their graduates." Especially at a time when Americans owe more than $1 trillion in student loan debt, Forbes values “outputs” rather than “inputs.” Fairfield ranked #145 out of 650 U.S. colleges and universities, up three spots from the 2017 list. Alumni salaries, retention and graduation rates, debt after graduation, and individual success— including academic and career accolades — were considered in how Forbes selected and weighted measures for the list.

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Colleges With the Greatest Research-and-Development Spending in the Humanities, FY2016 ranked Fairfield University #34 among 50 private nonprofit institutions including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Georgetown. The data to determine the public institutions and private nonprofit institutions lists, are drawn from a survey of 902 academic institutions that spent at least $150,000 on research in the 2016 fiscal year.

Fairfield is also once again among The Princeton Review’s annual “Best 384 Colleges,” as well as in the top 10 schools — and it is the only Connecticut school in the top 10 — where students are considered to have the "Best Quality of Life." The University is found in the top 20 schools — and is the top school in Connecticut among the top 20 — to have the "Happiest Students," and is also among The Princeton Review’s "Best Northeastern Schools" and "Colleges That Pay You Back." Data collected between the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2017, from institutional and student surveys, and from PayScale.com , included academic rigor, affordability and career outcomes for alumni.

https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Fairfield-U-reaches-top-spot-on-a-U-S-News-13215352.php

Posted On: 09-10-2018 11:09 AM

Volume: 51 Number: 17

Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.