St. Andrews also ranks 19th among national liberal arts colleges for lowest debt for graduates.
“The faculty and staff at St. Andrews work diligently to provide a high quality education for our students at a reasonable cost,” said Dr. John Deegan Jr., president of the college. “We are gratified this respected publication continues to recognize us in its report as an outstanding national liberal arts college.”
U.S. News bases its ranking of the top national colleges and universities on 15 indicators including peer assessment, student selectivity, student retention rates, faculty resources, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.
“We have made a conscious effort to meet the academic needs of our students through our general educational curriculum, as well as offering new majors,” said Dr. Robert J. Hopkins, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “We have expanded our majors to include forensic science, pre-veterinary medicine and art therapy.
“In athletics, we have added women’s lacrosse, women’s golf and reinstated men’s and women’s track and field.”
“Students and their families look for a high-quality comprehensive liberal arts college that is affordable,” said Glenn Batten, vice president of enrollment and student services. “Students are attracted here due to our national reputation for academic excellence and our achievement awards. These awards recognize students’ academic performance in high school.
“For instance, freshmen who ranked in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class receive the Trustee Award — awarding them a scholarship worth one-half of tuition.”
The college also offers a wide array of academic and need-based scholarships, as well as athletic scholarships as a member of the NCAA Division II.
The citation by U.S. News follows recent accolades from other publications including The Princeton Review. In 2003, The Washington Post published a story in its education review section about “20 Undiscovered Gems” that included St. Andrews.
In his 2003 book “Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College that is Best for You,” Jay Matthews cited St. Andrews as a college that delivers top-quality education.
Additional information about St. Andrews is available on the college’s Web site www.sapc.edu or by calling admissions at (800) 763-0198 or sending an e-mail to admissions@sapc.edu.
