Media Contact: Nicole Funaro, nicole.funaro@fairfield.edu, 203-254-4000 x3498
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (October 10, 2019) — Fairfield University once again received high national rankings in college research website College Factual’s annual Best Colleges Ranking. Placing No. 147 out of 1,727 schools, Fairfield placed in the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities included in College Factual’s national 2020 ranking. Additionally, Fairfield placed in the top 25 percent of schools in New England.
Overall, Fairfield received 52 distinctions that placed them in the 15 percent or better nationwide. These distinctions include a top 10 percent ranking as a best religiously affiliated university (No. 14 of 182), a top 5 percent ranking for its accounting program (No. 7 of 619), and a top 5 percent ranking for its nursing program (No. 7 of 519). The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies was ranked also ranked No. 1 nursing program in Connecticut.
Additionally, the University was awarded a top 5 percent nationwide ranking as a university producing the highest paid graduates in the following fields:
With many accolades awarded to Fairfield in College Factual’s annual ranking, the University was also recognized for its high freshman retention rate (90%), low student loan default rate, and high return on investment — in fact, College Factual estimates that “setting aside the time value of money, after 30 years, an undergraduate degree from Fairfield University is worth about $1,429,000 more than it would cost you.”
College Factual’s annual ranking aims to measure the quality of education a student will receive at a specific college or university in comparison to other schools in the United States, weighing 11 different factors to score four-year undergraduate programs. The categories considered in the ranking include: average test scores, average faculty compensation, expenditures per student, student to faculty ratio, percent of full-time teachers, freshmen retention rate, six-year graduation rate, expected vs. actual graduation rate, student loan default rate, starting salary boost, and mid-career salary boost.
For more information on Fairfield rankings, visit fairfield.edu/rankings.
Posted On: October 11, 2019
Volume: 52 Number: 32
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.