Hamline University: Recent Rankings
2012: U.S.News & World Report
Hamline ranked 1st in Minnesota, 9th in region in its category of "America's Best Colleges"
For the twelfth consecutive year, Hamline University remains the top-ranked Minnesota university in its class in the 2012 rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S.News & World Report magazine.
Hamline University ranked first in Minnesota and ninth among 144 universities in the Midwest region in the magazine’s Best Regional Universities category. Hamline has been ranked in the top eleven in the Midwest since it was added to the Best Regional Universities category (formerly titled Best Universities-Master’s category) in 2001.
In the U.S.News sections entitled “Strong Commitment to Teaching” and “Up and Coming Schools,” Hamline University ranked fifth in the Midwest. In the “Great Schools, Great Prices” section, in which schools are ranked in terms of dollar value for the quality of education, Hamline was again ranked in the top fifteen “best value” schools among the 144 universities in its class. Hamline also made the list of “A+ Schools for B Students.”
“An exceptional, personalized teaching and learning environment and true value for a quality education are hallmarks of the Hamline experience, and it is heartening to note that for more than a decade Hamline University’s academic reputation and success has been affirmed by U.S. News in its annual college rankings,” said Dr. Linda Hanson, president of Hamline University. “However, rankings are just one reference source for learning about various schools. Students should visit the campuses of colleges they are exploring, thoroughly examine the programs offered, and consider carefully the quality of teaching they will receive to make the college choice that is right for each of them.”
The magazine’s Best Regional Universities category includes schools throughout the nation that award primarily undergraduate and master’s degrees and a small number of doctoral degrees. The rankings measure a school’s overall academic reputation, as well as selected criteria within its undergraduate college, such as average graduation rate, first year student retention, class size, and faculty to student ratio, among other criteria, to compute an academic quality rating.
Other Minnesota schools in the Best Regional Universities category include St. Catherine University (#14), Bethel University (#24), College of St. Scholastica (tied for #27), Augsburg College (tied for #27), and Concordia University (#93).
U.S.News also ranks colleges and universities in three other major categories, including Best Regional Colleges, Best National Liberal Arts Colleges and Best National Universities. A complete listing of this year's rankings is available at the U.S.News & World Report website at: www.usnews.com.
2012: Washington Monthly
Washington Monthly Ranks Hamline first in Minnesota and twentieth nationwide in its category of “Top Master’s Universities.”
Hamline University has been ranked twentieth in the nation and is one of two Minnesota universities in its category in Washington Monthly’s 2012 College Rankings, which highlights institutions that value service to the community.
According to Washington Monthly, colleges and universities are evaluated on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs); social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students); and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). Hamline ranked first in Minnesota and twentieth nationwide in its category of “Top Master’s Universities.”
Other Minnesota schools that made the rankings lists in other categories included: Carleton College (#4), Macalester College (#8), St. Olaf College (#42), College of St. Benedict (#81), Gustavus Adolphus College (#83), St. John’s University (#100), University of Minnesota-Morris (#105) and Concordia College (#162) in the category of “Top Liberal Arts Colleges,” and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (#28), University of St. Thomas (#205), and St. Mary’s University (#270) in the “Top National Universities” category.
For a complete list of rankings and an explanation of the methodology behind them, please visit www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/.
2012: Forbes.com
Forbes.com Ranks Hamline among "Best" Success of grads, quality of education biggest factors in rankings
Hamline University is again among the nation’s “best colleges and universities” according to the latest rankings by Forbes.com.
For the past five years, Forbes.com has analyzed the quality of higher education institutions in the United States, and Hamline has made the list each year.
All of the schools in this ranking count among the best in the country,” stated an article on Forbes.com. “We select just nine percent of the 6,600 accredited postsecondary institutions in the U.S., so appearing on our list is an indication that a school meets a high standard.”
Quality of education and success of graduates are the main factors that determine placement on the list. Forbes worked with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity and paid special attention to factors that are of special concern to incoming students.
They analyzed the schools according to five categories: how much graduates succeed in their chosen professions, evaluation of the average salaries of graduates, the number of alumni listed in a Forbes/CCAP list of corporate officers, enrollment-adjusted entries in Who's Who in America, and how satisfied students are with their college experience.
Of the 650 American colleges and universities (out of a possible 6,000) that had the distinction of making the ‘best’ list, Hamline ranked 255th.
2012: Princeton Review
Hamline Named a "Best Midwestern" School by Princeton Review; rankings reflect academic strength, institutional data, reputation, and student input
Hamline University has been named one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest by The Princeton Review. The New York City-based education services company selected the school as one of 153 institutions it recommends in its “Best in the Midwest” section on its PrincetonReview.com feature 2013 Best Colleges Region by Region.
The 153 colleges selected for this year’s “Best in the Midwest” designations are located in twelve states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Two-hundred-twenty colleges in the Northeast, 121 in the West, and 135 in the Southeast are also designated as best in their locales.
"We're pleased to recommend Hamline University as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree. We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as 'regional best' colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs. From several hundred schools in each region, we winnowed our list based on institutional data we collected directly from the schools, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of our staff, plus college counselors and advisors whose recommendations we invite,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's senior vice president of publishing.
In addition, The Princeton Review asked students to rate their own schools on several issues—from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food—and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. Actual comments from surveyed students pepper each Princeton Review college profile on its website.
“Hamline University combines knowledgeable professors, a fun environment, great study abroad options, challenging classes, [and] helpful resources to create an intelligent, moderate, religious, small undergraduate program that stresses public service and rational discussion.”
The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is known for its test preparation, college admission, and other education services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University, and it is not a magazine.