September 01, 2017

Government and politics publication Washington Monthly ranks Susquehanna University among the nation’s top 30 liberal arts colleges, in what the magazine calls “a different kind of college ranking.”

The guide places Susquehanna at No. 27 among 240 ranked national liberal arts universities—up 27 places from its spot in the 2016 ranking.

Additionally, the publication’s 2017 Best Bang for the Buck ranking places Susquehanna within the top 25 percent of colleges in the Northeast-at No. 69 of 385 colleges-which includes other universities in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The Best Bang for the Buck ranking recognizes colleges that are doing the best job of helping lower- and middle-income students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.

Washington Monthly’s College Guide and Rankings “measure what colleges do for their country,” in contrast to U.S. News & World Report for example. Rather than ranking institutions on such input measures as wealth, reputation and exclusivity, Washington Monthly rates schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories:

• Social mobility, which includes recruiting and graduating low-income students
• Research, which is measured by the production of cutting-edge scholarship and preparing the next generation of scientists and Ph.Ds
• Service, which is measured by the way students are encouraged to give something back to their communities and country

A detailed methodology can be found here.

Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine that focuses on U.S. politics and government and is based in Washington D.C.