Illinois Wesleyan Ranks in U.S. News Top Tier, Ties for No. 50

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University is ranked in the first tier of the nation's best liberal arts colleges, tied for No. 50, according to the annual survey by U.S. News & World Report.

• The Rankings (pdf)

The rankings were released by U.S. News & World Report in advance of publication of the newstand book, America's Best Colleges, which contains the U.S. News college rankings and is slated to go on sale Sept. 16. Most of the rankings will also be in the Sept. 23 issue of U.S. News & World Report, which also goes on sale Sept. 16.

The rankings are based on statistical data that measure such key issues as selectivity in admissions, retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, financial resources, and alumni giving.

Illinois Wesleyan was rated among the national 217 liberal arts colleges. These schools emphasize undergraduate education. To be included, colleges must award at least 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, such as languages and literature, biology and life sciences, philosophy, cultural studies, and psychology. Amherst University ranked No. 1 in the category.

The University scored particularly high in several key areas, including:

• selectivity, which is determined by the abilities and academic ambitions of a college's students based on their high school grades, college entrance exam scores and the proportion of accepted freshmen who actually enroll in the institution. Illinois Wesleyan was No. 30 in that category.
• the percentage of students who graduate and the percentage who return for the sophomore year. Illinois Wesleyan was No. 40 in that category
• the average spending per student on instruction, academic support, and student services. Illinois Wesleyan was No. 30 in that category.

In addition, U.S. News computes the difference between the actual six-year graduation rate for students entering in the fall of 1995 and the predicted graduation rate. The predicted graduation rate is based upon characteristics of the entering class, as well as characteristics of the institution. If a school's actual graduation rate is higher than the predicted rate, then the school is enhancing achievement. Illinois Wesleyan's score in this category was four points above the predicted rate.