U.S. News & World Report Ranks Carroll #1 in Best Value, #3 Regional College in the West, and #3 for Veterans for 2023-2024.
Carroll College has once again been recognized as the leader in value among regional colleges in the west by U.S. News & World Report.
“We are pleased Carroll has been ranked as #1 for value in the West for the second consecutive year,” said Carroll President Dr. John Cech. “Carroll has been intentional in its commitment to provide students with a robust, comprehensive, and yet affordable academic experience.”
This latest ranking recognizes the college's continuing efforts to offer an ideal balance of academic excellence and financial accessibility.
Beyond Carroll's generous financial aid—where 99% of its students receive institutional scholarships and the average aid package offsets more than half the total cost of attendance—Carroll's outcomes play a significant role in determining the overall value of a Carroll education.
Not only does Carroll lead the four-state region in graduate rate, but its alumni also boast the highest median earnings among all Montana colleges and universities at $58,000.
“Choosing Carroll is a sound financial investment that pays dividends throughout a lifetime. Our graduates enter the workforce sooner and with outstanding preparation, leading to increased salaries and enhanced earnings over the life of their career," said Cech.
In addition to being recognized at the top of the leaderboard for value, Carroll also maintained its standing 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 18, Carroll was third in the best “Regional College in the West” category as well as third for “Best Colleges for Veterans.”
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 nearly 1,500 regionally accredited institutions based on as many as 19 metrics of academic excellence (13 for regional colleges). Among the factors measured in the regional rankings are: outcomes including how well schools retain and graduate students (31 percent); assessment of excellence from academic peers (20 percent); faculty resources including salaries, full-time faculty and student-faculty ratio (15 percent); and financial resources per student (8 percent). View the methodology here.
The 370 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.