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

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (July 25, 2019) — Fairfield University has again been named among Kiplinger’s ‘Best Value Colleges’ in its 2019 ranking. Finishing at No. 130 overall in a ranking that includes 400 colleges and universities nationwide. Jumping 128 spots from No. 258 in Kiplinger’s 2018 ranking, Fairfield’s place in the top 33% of this year’s national list. In a ranking of private universities, Fairfield sits at No. 41 in the group, placing them among the top 30% of private universities nationwide. Additionally, the University placed in the top 25 best value universities in New England.

Fairfield’s 2019 rankings are distinguished by its high ‘salary yardstick’ — students’ anticipated median job earnings following graduation — which top $72,000, as well as its high graduation rate (79%) and low average debt upon graduation ($32,186).

“Our strong rankings signal Fairfield’s continued commitment to modern excellence through stellar academics and an exceptional student experience,” said Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. “This particular ranking is a testament to the quality of students and faculty and speaks to the significance of our value-based, student-centric, outcomes-focused approach which educates men and women so they may find their calling and be successful at it in order to be productive citizens and societal stewards.”

Kiplinger formulated their rankings based on a combination of quality (accounting for 55% of a school’s total score) and cost criteria (45% of a school’s score). Academic measures were student-to-faculty ratio, the test scores of incoming freshmen, and the percentage of students who return for their second year. Points were also awarded to schools for high four-year graduation rates, as well as affordable sticker prices, generous financial aid, low student debt at graduation, and salary yardstick. New to the ranking this year was a comparison of the average first-year financial aid award to that of all undergraduates; Kiplinger ranked higher those schools that avoided giving generous aid packages to incoming students, only to reduce them in subsequent years.

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

Posted On: July 29, 2019

Volume: 52 Number: 6

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.