Saint Mary's fares well in national rankings

We have a good thing going at Saint Mary’s University and others have noticed.

Forbes.com’s 2010 list of “America’s Best Colleges” recently ranked Saint Mary’s University as No. 457 out of a group of 610 undergraduate institutions (selected from 2500 national undergraduate institutions) listed as “the best public and private colleges and universities – from the student’s point of view.” Dr. Marilyn Frost, vice president for academic affairs, said she is pleased that Saint Mary’s is on the Forbes list. “It shows that our students feel enriched by the experiences they have here, and that they graduate and go on to have successful careers and be productive members of their communities. The Forbes listing reinforces positive reports from other student satisfaction surveys, such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (see the following story) and the Princeton Review.” The list can be found at www.forbes.com/lists/2010/94/best-colleges-10_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html.

In the Princeton Review, Saint Mary’s is one of 152 schools receiving the “Best in the Midwest” designation for 2011. The Princeton Review profiles colleges and universities that “stand out as academically excellent institutions of higher learning.” The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their own schools on a variety of issues – from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food – and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. For more information, go to www.princetonreview.com/best-regional-colleges.aspx.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Saint Mary’s in its “Best National Universities” survey for 2011. The annual listing of more than 1,400 schools is available online at www.usnews.com. Saint Mary’s is ranked 183rd in the first tier of the U.S. News “National Universities” category, which includes 262 schools overall. Saint Mary’s competes with other National Universities because of our doctoral granting status. Taking top honors in the “National Universities” category are Harvard University, Princeton University and Yale University. Saint Mary’s, St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota are the only Minnesota schools represented in this category.