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Wooster (and Princeton) Singled Out by U.S. News Again, Top Ohio Liberal Arts School in Three Categories

U.S. News rankings

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster finds itself in elite company in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges 2020” guidebook, joined by Ivy League member Princeton University in two of the eight academic programs—undergraduate research/creative projects and senior capstone—recognized by education experts as “enriched offerings … linked to success.” The latest edition of the highly-respected college rankings were released Monday.

Wooster ranks No. 2 in the nation in the senior capstone category, known affectionately on campus as I.S. (Independent Study), and No. 5 in undergraduate research/creative projects (Princeton was also top-five  in both).

This Wooster-Princeton connection is nothing new. Since 2002, U.S. News’s editors have surveyed college presidents, chief academic officers, and deans of admissions to nominate institutions with stellar examples of each program, and this marks the 18th consecutive year they’ve been ranked in both of those categories, a declaration that no other school can make.

“The transformative impact of Wooster’s mentored research, in which all students participate, is no secret to our highly engaged and accomplished student body and alumni. This latest recognition demonstrates that it’s also well-known and respected by leaders at colleges across the country,” said Sarah Bolton, president of Wooster. “I applaud our faculty and staff for their unwavering commitment to developing a diverse and inclusive community and fostering an excellent educational experience for each and every Wooster student.”

Wooster excelled in several other categories as well, including a pair of top-20 placements among national liberal arts colleges – No. 11 in “Best Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 19 in “Most International Students.” Notable, Wooster was the top Ohio school on each of those lists and the latter ranking will likely rise further when this year’s international enrollment is included.

Another area in which Wooster ranked atop Ohio’s liberal arts colleges (72nd in the nation) was a new category, labeled “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.

Also of note, Wooster improved to 30th among the “Most Innovative Schools,” defined as those making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology, or facilities, and jumped up 11 spots to 74th in “Best Value Schools” while being noted again on the listing of “A+ Schools for B Students.”

Overall, Wooster inched one spot up to 66th of the 215 national liberal arts colleges.

Posted in News on September 9, 2019.