Our rankings reflect our commitment to mentored research, small classes, challenging academics with faculty mentors, and internship support
#2 Senior Capstone (U.S. News)
#5 Students Study the Most (Princeton Review)
#7 Lots of Race/Class Interaction (Princeton Review)
#8 Most Accessible Professors (Princeton Review)
#8 Best College Library (U.S. News)
#11 Top 20 Best Schools for Internships (Private Schools) (Princeton Review)
#13 Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact (Private Schools) (Princeton Review)
#13 Best Classroom Experience (Princeton Review)
#13 Best Undergraduate Teaching (U.S. News)
#15 Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects (U.S. News)
#17 Most International Students (U.S. News)
#18 Professors Get High Marks (Princeton Review)
#21 Best Career Services (Princeton Review)
#29 Most Innovative Schools (U.S. News)
#32 Best Colleges with No Application Fee in America (Niche.com)
#59 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America (Niche.com)
#65 First-Year Experiences (U.S. News)
#71 Best Value Schools (U.S. News)
#76 National Liberal Arts Colleges (U.S. News)
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.
Leads in preparing students for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields
Wooster plays a critical role in preparing students for success in obtaining graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, with a particular significance for women and underrepresented minority STEM baccalaureate graduates. A 2019 report published by the Council of Independent Colleges and based on data from National Center for Education Statistics and National Science Foundation ranked public and private institutions based on an institutional-yield ratio that removes the impact of the size of the student body. Wooster ranks No. 33 in the top 100 U.S. institutions where STEM doctorate recipients earn bachelor’s degrees, and No. 21 for women doctoral recipients in STEM. Wooster also ranks in the top 50 among U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of women doctorate recipients in the areas of biological sciences (No. 47), chemistry (No. 3), life sciences (No. 42), and physical sciences (No. 6).
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.