Gustavus Adolphus College is once again ranked among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s annual college rankings. Gustavus moved up eight places from last year’s rankings to 80th on the magazine’s “Best Liberal Arts College’s” list.
Released to the public Thursday, Aug. 20 on USNews.com, the rankings are scheduled to be published in the September issue of the magazine and in the annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook, both of which will be available at newsstands and book stores on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
This year’s “Best Liberal Arts College’s” list includes information on 266 colleges and universities that U.S. News and World Report considers liberal arts colleges. Gustavus is one of six Minnesota colleges that placed in the top 100 in this year’s rankings.
“Gustavus continues to be recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country and that’s something to be proud of,” President Jack R. Ohle said. “Faculty, students, and staff should be especially proud because they are the people who make this place what it is – an institution recognized for academic excellence that prepares
undergraduate students for lives of leadership and service.”
The rankings distributed by U.S. News and World Report are formulated with the use of statistical data and peer assessment scores from similar liberal arts colleges. Gustavus has an 89 percent retention rate (first-year students who return for their sophomore year) and an 81 percent four-year graduation rate. Other areas that the magazine uses to compare schools include class size, student-to-faculty ratio, percentage of faculty who are full-time, average alumni giving rate, and average SAT/ACT scores.
America’s Best Colleges is reportedly the top-selling college guidebook. This ranking groups schools into categories based on a national educational classification that includes liberal arts colleges, national universities, master’s degree-granting universities, and baccalaureate colleges.
Recently, Gustavus has also been ranked a “Best College” and a college with the best campus food by the Princeton Review.
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