Fordham University has once again received a 61st place ranking among top national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue.
This ranking, which matches last year’s result, places Fordham competitively within the top 262 most prestigious universities in the United States and steadies a six-year climb from 84th place in 2002.
In addition to assigning an overall ranking, the magazine recorded gains by Fordham in student retention, class size and alumni giving. This led to a one-point increase in the University’s overall score, from 49 to 50.
“We are not surprised that Fordham continues to hold its high position in the U.S. News & World Report rankings,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “The ranking, and slight increase in overall score, affirms what we already know: that Fordham educates its students with rigor and compassion, preparing men and women not just for careers, but for lives worth living. That said, the strength of a university is hard to capture in a single number.
“Fordham’s national reputation is the result of long-term efforts by faculty and staff in and out of the classroom, and across a wide range of academic and organizational initiatives. That work, intensive and multifaceted, is ongoing irrespective of the University’s position in published rankings,” Father McShane continued. “For their effort and dedication, I am both grateful to, and proud of, the efforts of every member of the Fordham community.”
Results of the 2010 survey were released on the U.S. News website on Aug. 20.
Fordham shares its 61st place ranking with Clemson University, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Purdue University and Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
The University was ranked in the top 25 percent of “national universities”—those that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, and that emphasize faculty research.
The annual survey uses up to 15 indicators of excellence, each assigned a different weight. Fordham showed the largest gain in maintaining small class sizes, with the percentage of classes with fewer than 20 students increasing from 47 to 50 percent.
Fordham maintained the distinction of being among only four top-tier schools that virtually avoided class sizes of 50 or more students, holding such classes to just 1 percent.
In addition, median SAT scores of incoming freshmen climbed five points, from 1223 to 1228; student retention rose from 89.3 to 89.7 percent; and the average alumni giving rate increased from 20.6 to 22 percent.
Fordham was ranked fourth among national Catholic universities, behind Notre Dame, Georgetown and Boston College.
The U.S. News survey, which first appeared in 1983, is one of the most influential among several higher education comparisons undertaken annually by publishers such as Barron’s and the Princeton Review. The magazine uses categories developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The magazine compiled its data from more than 1,450 accredited four-year schools, both public and private.te program in International Political Economy and Development.
