Trinity University Tops List In U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges”

SAN ANTONIO – For the 16^th consecutive year, Trinity University has been ranked No. 1 in the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” guide.  Trinity was awarded the No. 1 spot in the category of institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs as well as select master’s programs in the Western part of the United States.

Trinity also received a No. 1 ranking in the publication’s best value category, “Great Schools, Great Prices.”  In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University’s engineering science program No. 31 among the nation’s best schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s.

“Trinity is honored to be recognized by U.S. News for this distinction for educational quality and best value. As part of this evaluation, we are pleased that peer institutions have also chosen to endorse Trinity,” said Chris Ellertson, Trinity’s dean of admissions and financial aid.

U.S. News & World Report based its rankings on several factors, including academic reputation (assessed by academic peers: presidents, provosts, and deans of admission), graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student/faculty ratio, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.

U.S. News & World Report’s annual edition of “America’s Best Colleges” is one of many publications and guidebooks that have recognized Trinity and other top institutions. External evaluations or ratings are valuable only as one of a myriad of resources to help inform a student’s college search, says Ellertson. “The most important consideration when students select a college is whether it is a good fit.” Ellertson often counsels perspective students to develop their own internal rating system.   “Specifically, students should reflect upon their interests and needs related to such college considerations as location, distance, weather, size, curriculum, learning environment, campus community, outcomes, and student and alumni satisfaction.”

In June, the Annapolis Group, of which Trinity University is a member, announced it would develop an alternative set of data to help students and their families in the college process. The Web-based initiative, being developed in collaboration with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), will provide accessible, comprehensive, and quantifiable data.

While Trinity University is proud of the distinction the U.S. News  rankings has brought it over the past 16 years, campus officials caution that one publication’s ranking system should not be the sole factor for a family’s decision on where to send students to college. “We share the concerns of other members of the Annapolis group about the rankings and believe the higher education community should continue to seek multiple ways to report their relative strengths,” said Trinity president John R. Brazil.  “We want to find the best way to serve our students and potential students by providing meaningful information for families to make informed choices about college.”

The majority of the Annapolis Group presidents attending the annual meeting this summer in Annapolis, Md., expressed their intent not to complete the reputation survey, which is 25 percent of a school’s score in the annual U.S. News and World Report rankings. Trinity is participating in the U-CAN consumer information project, which when unveiled in mid-September will give prospective students and their families concise, Web-based consumer-friendly information on individual private colleges and universities.

Trinity University, founded in 1869, is one of the nation’s top private undergraduate institutions. Noted for its superior academic quality, outstanding faculty, and exceptional academic and residential resources, Trinity is committed to the intellectual, civic, and professional preparation of its students.

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