Buoyed by strong programs such as engineering, business and computer science, as well as its veterans programs, the University of St. Thomas continues to steadily raise its profile among the nation’s top Catholic institutions of higher education.
Minnesota’s largest private university landed 17th among the top 20 national Catholic universities ranked in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges list. St. Thomas is tied with three other schools at the position (DePaul, Seton Hall and Seattle University) after being 19th last year.
Overall, St. Thomas remained ranked among the top third of all national universities, tying with 13 other schools for No. 137. Other notable institutions tied with St. Thomas included Drake University, University of Alabama, University of Central Florida and University of Kentucky, among others.
“It is encouraging to see St. Thomas recognized among some of the country’s most distinguished institutions, though students choose schools based on so much more than rankings,” said Rob Vischer, University of St. Thomas interim president. “We appreciate when our commitment to excellence is recognized, but too much is at stake for us to focus on rankings. Through a relationship-centered approach to education, St. Thomas has been producing leaders who serve the common good for 137 years. It’s our history of changing lives that resonates most with students who desire to impact their communities and the world.”
Among the high marks given to St. Thomas on this year’s list:
- For the ninth straight year, St. Thomas’ School of Engineering was ranked among the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs. Among all engineering programs where doctoral degrees are not offered, St. Thomas was ranked No. 35 overall (compared to No. 39 last year), No. 1 in Minnesota and No. 5 among national Catholic universities.
- The computer science program rose from No. 304 last year to No. 278 on this year’s list, where it is tied with 29 other programs.
- St. Thomas continued receiving high marks for its services designed for military veterans pursuing their college degrees, landing at No. 89 on the Best Colleges for Veterans list.
- The university once again landed on the publication’s Best Value list, ranking No. 85. The Best Value ranking is an assessment of a school’s academic quality compared to the net cost of attendance.
- Opus College of Business continued its run of being nationally ranked every year since achieving AACSB accreditation status in 2010; Opus College ranked No. 190 among national universities.
The U.S. News Best Colleges list scores institutions on a range of factors, including graduation and retention rates, class size, student-faculty ratio, alumni giving rates and others.
