A statue of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Aquinas Hall (AQU) is shown as students walk through the arches. Taken September 26, 2007.

St. Thomas Among the 'Best Colleges'

St. Thomas is once again listed among the “Best Colleges” in the United States, according to rankings published today by U.S. News & World Report. St. Thomas also made the list for the "Best Value Schools," ranking No. 63 among national universities.

Overall, the university ranks No. 115 in the national universities category, up slightly from No. 118 in 2016. The undergraduate engineering and business programs also moved up in their rankings.

The undergraduate School of Engineering program ranks No. 29 among 200 schools that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees but not doctorates – an increase from No. 35 last year. The ranking is based solely on surveys of deans and senior faculty at schools with accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

The Opus College of Business undergraduate program ranks No. 128 among 488 programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The survey also is based solely on peer assessment. St. Thomas ranked No. 150 last year.

U.S. News announced the rankings on Sept. 12. They are published on the magazine’s website and in the “Best Colleges 2018” guidebook, available online now or in print editions in bookstores Oct. 10.

With more than 1,500 colleges and universities in the United States, the U.S. News & World Report separates colleges and universities into four categories:
National Universities (311 universities), offering a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees (St. Thomas falls in this category; Princeton retained the top spot);
National Liberal Arts Colleges (233 colleges), which award at least half of their degrees in the arts and sciences (St. John’s, St. Benedict fall in this category);
Regional Universities (659 schools) which provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs but few, if any, doctoral programs (in the Midwest Creighton University and Drake University are examples of this category)
Regional Colleges (334 schools), which focus on undergraduate education, but grant less than half of their degrees in the arts and sciences.

The university rankings are based on seven measures: assessment by peers and high school admissions counselors (22.5 percent of overall score); graduation and retention rates (22.5 percent); faculty resources (20 percent); student selectivity (12.5 percent); financial resources (10 percent); graduation rate performance (7.5 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent).

Learn About St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas offers more than 100 undergraduate majors in five academic divisions. Seventy percent of our students major in science, technology, engineering, math or business. Our faculty pride themselves on their commitment to teaching and scholarship: 100 percent of our classes are taught by faculty, not teaching assistants. Our faculty to student ratio is 14:1, allowing more personalized instruction and undergraduate research opportunities. As a national university, St. Thomas attracts students from 45 states and 37 countries. More than 97 percent of first-year students receive merit-based scholarships. We boast an alumni network of more than 105,000 strong.

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