"It is valuable on occasion to step back and take a look at how good we are as others see us," St. Lawrence President William L. Fox has stated. "Our excellent, hard-won reputation is immensely important, particularly to prospective students and families as they begin the search for the college or university that will be the right fit. I'm gratified that so many excellent students are finding that fit at St. Lawrence."
St. Lawrence University's outstanding reputation goes far beyond its region. National publications that rank, rate and review colleges and universities have reported the University's success in glowing terms in the fall 2011 editions.
St. Lawrence moved up two spots in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of national liberal arts colleges, to 53 among the 252 best, most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the nation. That ranking places the University in the top 20 percent of its peer group. St. Lawrence scored particularly well in its average freshman-to-sophomore retention rate, at 90 percent, and in its predicted versus actual graduation rate, at 75 percent versus 83 percent.
The magazine also included the University in its list of "A+ Schools for B Students." The editors state, "U.S. News has again this year screened the schools it ranks to identify those where spirit and hard work could make all the difference in admissions offices. Since many schools truly seek a broad, engaged student body, be sure to display your individuality as you apply."
St. Lawrence came in at Number 64 in Forbes magazine's annual ranking of Top Colleges that included only 650 schools - the top 20 percent of all undergraduate institutions. The rankings are exclusively prepared for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP), a Washington, D.C., think tank. St. Lawrence was ranked Number 64 overall; Number 58 in private colleges and Number 34 in the Northeast.
The Princeton Review also rated St. Lawrence University as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, one of 220 institutions recommended in the "Best in the Northeast" section of its website feature, "2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region." The rankings are based on collected data, student feedback, school visits and the opinions of college counselors, students and parents. Each school is ranked in eight categories: admissions selectivity, quality of life, financial aid and environmental policies and practices. In its national listings, the University was included among the top 25 schools for Best Athletic Facilities, as rated by student surveys.
Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club, publishes an annual list of the country's "greenest" colleges. St. Lawrence is among the 113 colleges selected. In addition, the magazine included a two-page feature spread on the Adirondack Semester, where about a dozen students live and take courses together in a remote area of the state's Adirondack Park. The program has previously been featured in the New York Times, The Times of London and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine named St. Lawrence a "best value" in private higher education in its 2012 rankings, one of only 100 liberal arts institutions to earn the designation. St. Lawrence is ranked at number 59 on the list of 100 best-value liberal arts institutions; the previous year, the University was ranked number 62. Each year, Kiplinger's assesses quality according to measurable standards, including the percentage of students who are admitted out of those who applied; the academic quality of incoming first-year students; the ratio of students to faculty members; and the four- and five-year graduation rates.
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