Vanguard University Named a Top Five Best College
by U.S. News & World Report for the 3rd Year in a Row
Vanguard University of Southern California was again named in the top five of the best baccalaureate colleges in the West by U.S. News & World Report when that publication’s America’s Best Colleges 2010 rankings were released this morning. Vanguard is ranked fifth in the western region.
“It is an honor to again be ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top five college,” said Vanguard University’s president, Carol Taylor. “This is an acknowledgement of VU’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and to providing a quality education to our students.”
The rankings are created by gathering data on quantitative measures accepted as reliable indicators of academic quality, as well as the publication’s view of what matters in higher education, to develop its rankings. The rankings take into account assessments by administrators at peer institutions, faculty resources, retention of students, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and average graduation rate.
Schools are categorized by classification and, in some cases, region. Vanguard was ranked fifth among baccalaureate colleges in the western region of the United States. Baccalaureate colleges are those which focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts – which account for less than 50 percent of their degrees – and in professional fields such as business, nursing and education. This category is further divided by geographic area – North, South, Midwest, and West. There are 319 baccalaureate colleges ranked within the four regions.
"As a best baccalaureate college, Vanguard University is among schools that focus on the quality of the college experience," said Taylor. "It is exciting to be ranked in the top tier among these superb colleges and universities, and it is an extraordinary honor to be regarded so highly by our peers."
The full rankings are available in the current issue of U.S. News & World Report, on newsstands Monday, August 24. The 2010 America’s Best Colleges guidebook will be available on Tuesday, August 25.