Three Maine institutions were ranked in the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report, whose annual post secondary education rankings have become closely watched reference guides and sources for school bragging rights alike.
Bowdoin College in Brunswick is the most highly rated Maine school in the publication’s list of liberal arts colleges, landing in a four-way tie at No. 4 along with the out-of-state Middlebury, Pomona and Wellesley colleges.
In placing fourth, Bowdoin inched up from its No. 5 ranking on the list a year ago.
Colby College in Waterville was placed in a three-way tie for No. 19 along with Colgate University in New York and Grinnell College in Iowa.
Rounding out U.S. News & World Report’s top 25 was Bates College in Lewiston, which also found itself in a bunched-up tie along with the out-of-state Bryn Mawr, Colorado and Kenyon colleges.
College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor, was ranked No. 82 on the list of nearly 250 liberal arts college.
The publication uses 16 criteria to determine its findings, including graduation rates, student retention rates, class sizes and academic peer assessment survey results.
U.S. News & World Report named Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the country’s best liberal arts college, followed by Amherst College in the same state.
Among national universities, the publication ranked the University of Maine at Orono at No. 168.
When U.S. News & World Report zeroed in on the northeast region, University of New England, which has campuses in Biddeford and Portland, was ranked No. 83 among universities, while Maine Maritime Academy, University of Maine at Farmington and Unity College were named the No. 7, No. 19 and No. 28 best on the regional colleges list.
“Our students enjoy an unparalleled academic experience that includes remarkable access to faculty, an outdoor research environment that’s second to none, an innovative, transdisciplinary curriculum, and campus life that’s as enriching as schools ten times our size,” said Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, Unity College’s executive vice president and president-elect, in a statement.
“These rankings recognize that when Unity students graduate, they are prepared to be America’s environmental leaders,” he continued. “They are job-ready with the advantage of adventurous employment and internship opportunities while they’re here, and a manageable debt load when they leave.”
The publication also sliced and diced its figures to generate several niche rankings as well, including top schools for veterans, best business programs and top public schools, among other things.
