‘Best College’ rankings include Mount Union, Malone, Walsh

The University of Mount Union, Malone University and Walsh University all appear on U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges ranking that was released Tuesday

By CantonRep.com staff report Posted Sep. 9, 2014 @ 1:35 pm

Three Stark County universities have been ranked among America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

The University of Mount Union, Malone University and Walsh University all appear on the annual list released Tuesday. The ranking divides the 1,800 colleges and universities surveyed into three broad categories — national universities, regional universities and regional colleges — and evaluates them based on 16 different measures of academic excellence, such as freshmen retention and graduation rates. U.S. News states on its website that its 30th edition of the Best Colleges ranking is intended to be a starting point for families concerned with finding the best academic value for their money.

LOCAL RANKINGS

Mount Union was ranked 11th among the 69 ranked regional colleges in the Midwest. The division includes schools within a 12-state region — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin — that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. This is Mount Union’s 24th consecutive year on the list.

The four-year, private university in Alliance has an undergraduate enrollment of 2,096 and charges $27,990 in tuition and fees. It has an average freshmen retention rate of 74 percent and a 63 percent six-year graduation rate, according to the rankings.

Malone ranked 54th in a seven-way tie among 109 ranked institutions under the regional universities division, which includes institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs, some master’s programs and a few doctoral programs.

This is the 10th consecutive year for Malone to appear on the list. Malone, located in Canton, has an undergraduate enrollment of 1,656 and charges $26,416 in tuition and fees. Its average freshmen retention rate is 69 percent and its six-year graduation rate is 59 percent.

Walsh University ranked 65th under the regional universities division. The North Canton-based university has an undergraduate enrollment of 2,963, charges $26,670 for tuition and fees. It has an average freshmen retention rate of 75 percent and a six-year graduation rate of 55 percent.

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