U.S. News’ annual college and university rankings identify Grove City College as one of the country’s best national liberal arts colleges.
The College is ranked 113 in the respected guide’s listing of National Liberal Arts Colleges, which emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The “2021 Best Colleges” rankings, released Monday, cover more than 1,500 colleges and universities. Of particular note, Grove City College has advanced 28 spots in the past several years. View Grove City College’s profile at www.usnews.com.
The rankings are based on student outcomes, including retention and graduation rates, faculty qualifications, admissions data, institutional reputation and the quality of students based on test scores and class rank, all areas in which Grove City College excels.
“Grove City College’s perennial inclusion in the U.S. News exclusive category of rankings and recent recognition from other top evaluators of higher education demonstrate the extraordinary high quality of our institution,” President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. “This national ranking, in particular, validates our approach to educating students’ hearts, minds and hands in service to the common good. Generations of graduates have seen their potential for success grow and their lives improved because of Grove City College. Our students see an enormous return on their investment,” McNulty said.
U.S. News recognized the College’s Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering programs among the top 100 nationally for undergraduate studies. At Grove City College, budding engineers are instructed by experts in the discipline, conduct research, complete senior capstone projects and often work in industry before graduation. Graduates of the ABET-accredited programs have a near-100 percent placement rate in jobs or graduate school.
The College’s 80-percent four-year graduation rate is almost twice the national average and its sophomore-to-freshman retention rate, a key indicator of student satisfaction, stands at 88 percent. Nearly all of the College’s more than 150 full-time faculty members hold terminal degrees and a third of incoming freshmen are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. While U.S. News doesn’t consider post-graduate outcomes, 96 percent of Grove City College graduates are working or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Alumni salaries trend 15 percent or more above national averages.