U.S. News & World Report Ranks Carroll #1 in Best Value, #2 Regional College in the West, and #2 for Veterans
(HELENA, MT) Carroll College maintains its more than 20-year history as one of the top regional colleges in the west by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. In the latest rankings released September 12, Carroll took second in the best “Regional College in the West” category and moved into the top position for “Best Value College in the West.”
“We are particularly excited to have returned to the top of the leaderboard for value,” said Dr. John Cech, president of Carroll College. “By recognizing that we provide the best value in our 15-state region, it affirms what we have always believed which is that Carroll College provides the best return for your educational investment.
“Accessibility is paramount to us. We do not want cost to be a barrier to higher education so we are proud to have put the resources in place to make Carroll an affordable choice” said Cech.
Ninety-nine percent of Carroll students receive institutional aid. In addition, Carroll has the lowest loan default rate in the state of Montana which can be attributed to their strong job placement rates following graduation with median annual earnings of $53,000 for Carroll graduates.
For over two decades, Carroll College has consistently been among the leaders in the rankings for both overall regional colleges as well as best value.
“While it is certainly nice to be recognized by one of the premiere sources for college rankings, what we are truly proud of year in and year out is the exceptional academic experience we provide, the dedicated and accomplished faculty and staff we employ, and the bright, compassionate students we graduate. Nothing changes from year to year in how we strive to live our mission and instill knowledge and goodness in our students, and desire to make Carroll College the very best Catholic, liberal arts college in the west,” said Cech.
Additional 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings and metrics for Carroll College include:
- Ranked second regionally for Best Colleges for Veterans
Placed first for students in the top 25% of their high school class
Tied for first in freshman retention rate
Placed second for graduation rate
Placed third in alumni giving
How are the Rankings Determined
The “Best Colleges” rankings, released annually by U.S. News & World Report, provide one of the most comprehensive and reputable assessments of over 1,400 regionally accredited institutions based on 17 metrics of academic excellence. Among the factors measured in the rankings are: outcomes including how well schools retain and graduate students (40 percent); assessment of excellence from academic peers (20 percent); faculty resources including class size and student-faculty ratio (20 percent); financial resources per student (10 percent); student excellence including admissions selectivity (7 percent); and alumni giving (3 percent). View the methodology here.
The 266 colleges in the regional colleges categories are ranked against their peer group in one of four regions: North, South, Midwest and West. The West region, in which Carroll resides, includes colleges in 15 western states. Higher education institutions included in the regional colleges ranking focus on undergraduate education but grant less than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, such as languages and literature, biology and life sciences, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology.
See the full rankings on the US News and World Report website.