Get to Know Wooster!

Thank you for your interest in The College of Wooster!

As one of the nation’s most international colleges and the leader in mentored undergraduate research, Wooster is dedicated to creating a place where you belong and helping each and every student reach their unique potential. Whether just starting your college search or narrowing down your options, the following information will help you learn more about Wooster and the Admissions process.

Get to Know Wooster

Nationally Recognized as a Top Value

Academic excellence is just one of many reasons we’re considered a great value by higher-education experts, who know value isn’t all about the tuition price.

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber, in his book, The Price You Pay for College, devoted an entire chapter to The College of Wooster and praised the transparency of the financial-aid process and the benefits students get from small classes led by faculty who truly see themselves as mentors.

How We Stack Up

Nationally known as a best-value school

Princeton Review lists Wooster as a Best Value College

Kiplinger’s ranks Wooster one of its Best Value liberal arts colleges. According to editor Janet Bodnar, “Balancing top quality education with affordable cost is a challenge for families in today’s economy…The schools on the list offer students the best of both worlds.” Wooster’s generous financial aid, admissions selectivity, and graduation rates make it one of the nation’s best values.

Nationally recognized for undergraduate research opportunities

Since 2002, U.S. News has asked college presidents, provosts, and deans to nominate schools with outstanding undergraduate research opportunities and stellar senior capstone projects. Only two schools have been named to both lists every year: Wooster and Princeton.

Highly regarded by education experts for the whole package: affordability, educational excellence, and great preparation for careers

Loren Pope, founder of Colleges That Change Lives, called The College of Wooster “my original best-kept secret in higher education…I can testify that there is no better college in the country.”

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber praises Wooster for its exceptional combination of quality faculty, affordability, and undergraduate research in his new book, The Price You Pay for College. Lieber devotes an entire chapter to answering How the College of Wooster Puts It All Together, highlighting Wooster’s up-front attitude in helping prospective students understand the financial package they will receive and the satisfaction students get from faculty mentorship.

In the largest-ever survey of 30,000 college graduates, Gallup found that having a mentor in college and working on a long-term project were two of the most powerful factors linked to having “great jobs and great lives” after graduation.

Students surveyed for The Princeton Review’s Best 387 Colleges say Wooster is, “a small, personable ‘tight-knit community’ that offers ‘a truly stellar education’ to those who attend. Mentoring is a huge focal point of Wooster’s academics, and the ‘resources are endless’ for those looking to take advantage of things like ‘numerous opportunities for research and internships.’ Independent study is a highlight of the undergraduate experience, and the school ‘teaches research and how to apply skills learned to the outside world.’” Wooster is ranked in the top 10 in their Most Accessible Professors and Students Study the Most lists, and also featured in Colleges That Pay You Back.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges says “Instead of teaching students what to think, the College of Wooster focuses on teaching students how to think. From the first courses of the freshman year seminar to the final day when seniors hand in their hard-won theses, the college paves each student’s path to independence…The one-to-one attention from faculty makes Wooster an intellectual refuge in the rural countryside of Ohio.”

In one of the newest set of U.S. college rankings, the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education placed Wooster among the top 20 percent of the 801 institutions it looked at nationally, and 25th out of 212 Midwest institutions. The WSJ/THE assessment “puts student success and learning at its heart,” utilizing 15 performance indicators grouped into four pillar categories: resources, engagement, outcomes, and environment.

Did you know Wooster is test-optional and test-blind for merit scholarships?

We know students are more than a test score, which is why ACT and SAT scores are not required for admissions, and aren’t considered at all when we decide on merit scholarships.

Learn more about our test optional admissions policy and follow our Scottie Blog for other helpful posts on preparing for the college search process.