Distinctions
Distinctions
A good way to evaluate a college is to see what others are saying. Here you'll get a glimpse at what some of the nation's best known publications have to say about a Taylor University education.
U.S. News Ranks Taylor #1 for the Fifth Straight Year
For the fifth year in a row, Taylor University is the number one Midwest University in the category Best Regional Colleges in the newly-released 2012 U.S.News & World Report survey, America's Best Colleges.
It marks Taylor's fifth straight number one ranking and the 15th consecutive year to be listed in the region's top three. Taylor earned 100 rating points, edging second-place Ohio Northern University, which received 99 points. Augustana (South Dakota) and Cedarville (Ohio) finished in a tie for third with 89 points. The top five was completed with Marietta College (Ohio) and Dordt College (Iowa) - the two finished in a tie with 86 points.
Among the Midwest's Best Regional Colleges, Taylor was ranked first for peer assessment, freshman retention rate, and average graduation rate. Taylor was tied with Hastings College for third in alumni giving, behind Dordt College and Union College.
Taylor was again ranked in two key America's Best Colleges categories:
- Best Undergraduate Teaching - Once again Taylor was ranked the number one school in the Midwest Region for excellence in undergraduate teaching, a distinction based on the recommendation of administrators and deans of our peer schools.
- Best Value School - This distinction is earned when the U.S. News editorial staff factors Taylor's high ranking, combined with the average amount of need-based aid a student receives. In other words...Great School, Great Price.
Taylor was also ranked in a new category: A-Plus Schools for B Students.
"We are grateful for this, the latest number one ranking from U.S. News & World Report," Said Dr. Eugene B. Habecker, President of Taylor University. "Repeated recognition of our programs, as well as Taylor's historic commitments to teaching and affordability are the result of the dedicated, sacrificial efforts of every member of the Taylor University community from our amazing faculty to our outstanding students and alumni. To God be the glory."
A complete list of the U.S. News and World Report rankings is available online at www.usnews.com.
Taylor University listed as one of America's Best Colleges by Forbes.com
Taylor University has been listed as one of America's Best Colleges by Forbes.com.
The survey listed 650 colleges and universities - the top 20 percent - in its rankings. Taylor was ranked 213 overall - a jump of 60 spots from last year and 112 spots from 2009
"Our annual ranking of the 650 best undergraduate institutions focuses on the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt," said the editors in the survey's introduction. "Unlike other lists, we pointedly ignore ephemeral measures such as school 'reputation' and ill-conceived metrics that reward wasteful spending. We try and evaluate the college purchase as a consumer would."
"Statistical data has determined the return on investment of a college education can be anywhere from $400,000 to more than $1 million over the working career of a college graduate," said Steve Mortland, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Taylor. "We tell our incoming freshmen students they are making a choice - not only for the next four years, but the next 40. Our graduates serve God and humankind in a variety of vocations from physicians, elected leaders and teachers to businesspeople, computer programmers, pastors and filmmakers."
The Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP), in conjunction with Forbes, compiled its college rankings using five general categories, with several components within each general category. The weightings are listed in parentheses:
- Student Satisfaction (27.5%)
Student Evaluations from RateMyProfessor.com (17.5%)
Freshman-to-Sophomore Retention Rates (5%)
Student Evaluations from MyPlan.com (5%) - Postgraduate Success (30%)
Salary of Alumni from Payscale.com (15%)
Listings of Alumni in Who's Who in America (10%)
Alumni in Forbes/CCAP Corporate Officers List (5%) - Student Debt (17.5%)
Four-year Debt Load for Typical Student Borrower (12.5%)
Student Loan Default Rates (5%) - Four-year Graduation Rate (17.5%)
Actual Four-year Graduation Rate (8.75%)
Predicted vs. Actual Four-year Graduation Rate (8.75%) - Competitive Awards (7.5%)
Student Nationally Competitive Awards (7.5%)
Taylor University Among Best In The Midwest in Princeton Review Survey
Taylor University is one of the 153 colleges and universities from 12 Midwest states to be named Best In The Midwest by The Princeton Review in its website feature 2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region.
It marks the latest honor for Taylor, which has been ranked the top baccalaureate college in the Midwest by UY.S. News & World Report for the past five years. Criteria used in the survey included incoming freshmen GPA, graduation rates and student satisfaction.
"We're pleased to recommend Taylor University to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's senior vice president for publishing. "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," Franek said. "We also take into account what students at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for this project. Only schools that permit us to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional 'best' lists."
The colleges that The Princeton Review chose for its Best in the Midwest list are located in twelve states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Princeton Review also designated 220 colleges in the Northeast, 121 in the West, and 135 in the Southeast as best in their locales on the company's 2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region lists. Collectively, the 629 colleges named "regional best(s)" constitute about 25% of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges.
For this project, The Princeton Review asks students attending the schools 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.
Taylor Ranked Number Four Baccalaureate College in U.S. by Washington Monthly College Survey
Taylor University is ranked fourth nationally among baccalaureate colleges in the 2011 college ranking guide published by Washington Monthly magazine. According to the Washington Monthly editors, the survey, "rates schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country)."
Ranked first with a score of 100 points was Tuskegee University (Ala.) second and third were Cooper Union (NY) and Northwestern College (Iowa) with 92 and 91 points respectively. Taylor scored 90 points in the survey to finish fourth and Elizabeth City State University (NC) scored 89 points to round out the nation's top five.
Taylor finished within the top 10 of the 309 rated baccalaureate institutions in community service participation (sixth) and hours served and in graduates to serve in the Peace Corps (eighth). Additionally, Taylor was 27th in research expenditures and 55th in graduation rate.
In addition to the Baccalaureate College division, Washington Monthly categories included Liberal Arts Colleges, Master's Universities and National Universities.
