Joy JuedesChapman University is once again on the top colleges lists of the nation’s premier publications.
In The New York Times’ College-Access Index, a list of the country’s most-selective universities ranked in order of economic diversity, Chapman ranked in the top half of the country’s 286 “most-selective” public and private universities. Institutions are ranked in order of economic diversity, which measures the share of students receiving Pell grants. These grants are usually awarded to students from the bottom 50% of income levels.
The Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges list put the most weight on how much a college improves its students’ chances of graduating on time and how much it boosts their salaries after graduation than other rankings. The Journal’s rankings also factored in colleges’ learning environments and diversity. The list, which includes Chapman, rates in the top 400 universities in the nation.
Chapman also retained its position in the Princeton Review’s 388 Best Colleges guide. This holistic ranking includes seven categories, including academics/administration, quality of life, politics, campus life, town life, extracurriculars and social scene.
“With its ‘small school’ setting and So-Cal vibe, it’s easy to see why students are charmed by Chapman,” according to the Princeton Review, which doesn’t rank from No. 1 downward. “The university ‘truly emphasizes personal growth, campus involvement, and global citizenship,’ factors that undergrads here appreciate.”
Another industry publication, the Times of Higher Education, ranked Chapman in the top half of more than 1,900 institutions around the world. Among the rankings’ five categories, Chapman placed in the top quartile for teaching.
In U.S. News & World Report, Chapman rose almost 20 places, from No. 66 to No. 48, in best undergraduate teaching. Schools are evaluated by “whose faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner.”
Chapman also moved up among national private universities, from No. 66 to No. 64. Chapman outperformed the average drop within the private university group, which was the result of U.S. News’ methodology shift.
Chapman had several improvements in key U.S. News ranking metrics like graduation rate and first-year retention rate.
President Daniele C. Struppa said Chapman remains committed to increasing its endowment so the university can provide more resources to attract, fund and support Pell-eligible and socioeconomically challenged students, while working to increase those rates.“We have also grown our research exponentially over the past decade, and we will continue to keep faculty and student research
as a key priority,” he said. “Our university strategic plan has Chapman on a path to greatness and as positive changes continue, I am confident our rankings will rise.”
