COLLEGES OF DISTINCTION 2017 Go beyond the rankings of commercially-driven lists. Discover the college that's right for you. WWW.COLLEGESOFDISTINCTION.COM © 2016 by Colleges of Distinction All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author. CONTENTS What Are the Colleges of Distinction? 6 Engaged Students 11 Great Teaching 14 Vibrant Community 17 Successful Outcomes 21 Navigating Admissions and the Cost of College 23 Big Picture - Picking a College 27 Applying/Getting Accepted 36 Paying for College 42 Preparing for College and Making the Most of Your Opportunities 44 School Profiles 48 About the Authors 387 SCHOOL PROFILES NORTHEAST Le Moyne College 107 SOUTH LIU Post 108 Alabama Connecticut Manhattan College 109 Birmingham-Southern College 171 Eastern Connecticut State University 49 Manhattanville College 110 Samford University 172 Fairfield University 50 Molloy College 111 Spring Hill College 173 Quinnipiac University 51 Niagara University 112 University of Alabama in Huntsville 174 Sacred Heart University 52 St. Joseph’s College 113 University of Montevallo 175 University of New Haven 53 St. Thomas Aquinas College 114 Western Connecticut State University 54 SUNY Buffalo State 115 Arkansas Hendrix College 176 Maine SUNY Geneseo 116 SUNY Oneonta 117 John Brown University 177 Unity College 55 SUNY Oswego 118 Florida University of Maine 56 The College of New Rochelle 119 University of Maine at Fort Kent 57 The Sage Colleges 120 Barry University 178 Flagler College 179 Maryland Pennsylvania Florida Southern College 180 Frostburg State University 58 Allegheny College 121 Lynn University 181 Loyola University Maryland 59 Cedar Crest College 122 New College of Florida 182 Mount St. Mary’s University 60 Chatham University 123 Rollins College 183 Salisbury University 61 Dickinson College 124 Saint Leo University 184 University of Maryland, Drexel University 125 University of Miami 185 Baltimore County 62 Eastern University 126 Washington College 63 Georgia Gannon University 127 Massachusetts Geneva College 128 Agnes Scott College 186 Berry College 187 Anna Maria College 64 Gettysburg College 129 Georgia College 188 Assumption College 65 Grove City College 130 Georgia Gwinnett College 189 Bay Path University 66 Gwynedd Mercy University 131 Mercer University 190 College of the Holy Cross 67 Immaculata University 132 Oglethorpe University 191 Curry College 68 La Roche College 133 Piedmont College 192 Emerson College 69 Lafayette College 134 Reinhardt University 193 Emmanuel College 70 Lebanon Valley College 135 Toccoa Falls College 194 Fisher College 71 Mansfield University of Pennsylvania 136 Young Harris College 195 Gordon College 72 Mercyhurst University 137 Lasell College 73 Messiah College 138 Kentucky Newbury College 74 Millersville University of Pennsylvania 139 Brescia University 196 Nichols College 75 Mount Aloysius College 140 Centre College 197 Northeastern University 76 Muhlenberg College 141 Georgetown College 198 Regis College 77 Neumann University 142 Transylvania University 199 Springfield College 78 Point Park University 143 University of Louisville 200 Stonehill College 79 Rosemont College 144 Suffolk University 80 Saint Francis University 145 Louisiana Wentworth Institute of Technology 81 Saint Joseph’s University 146 Loyola University New Orleans 201 Western New England University 82 Slippery Rock University 147 Tulane University 202 Susquehanna University 148 Xavier University of Louisiana 203 New Hampshire Thiel College 149 Mississippi Keene State College 83 University of Pittsburgh at Bradford 150 Rivier University 84 University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg 151 Belhaven University 204 University of New Hampshire 85 Villanova University 152 Millsaps College 205 New Jersey Waynesburg University 153 Missouri West Chester University 154 Caldwell University 86 Culver–Stockton College 206 College of Saint Elizabeth 87 Rhode Island Fontbonne University 207 Drew University 88 Providence College 155 Missouri University of Science Georgian Court University 89 Rhode Island College 156 and Technology 208 Ramapo College 90 Park University 209 Rider University 91 Vermont Rockhurst University 210 Seton Hall University 92 Bennington College 157 Saint Louis University 211 The College of New Jersey 93 Champlain College 158 Truman State University 212 University of Vermont 159 William Jewell College 213 New York North Carolina Adelphi University 94 Virginia Binghamton University 95 Averett University 160 Appalachian State University 214 Canisius College 96 College of William & Mary 161 Elon University 215 Cazenovia College 97 Emory & Henry College 162 High Point University 216 Concordia College New York 98 Hollins University 163 Meredith College 217 D’Youville College 99 James Madison University 164 Pfeiffer University 218 Daemen College 100 Mary Baldwin University 165 Salem College 219 Dominican College 101 Radford University 166 University of Mount Olive 220 Fordham University 102 Randolph College 167 University of North Carolina Hobart & William Smith Colleges 103 The University of Virginia’s College at Wise 168 – Wilmington 221 Hofstra University 104 Wake Forest University 222 Iona College 105 University of Richmond 169 Keuka College 106 Virginia Wesleyan College 170 Oklahoma Indiana Wisconsin Oklahoma Baptist University 223 Ball State University 280 Carthage College 335 University of Science and Arts Bethel College 281 Concordia University Wisconsin 336 of Oklahoma 224 Butler University 282 Lawrence University 337 University of Tulsa 225 DePauw University 283 Marquette University 338 South Carolina Goshen College 284 St. Norbert College 339 Holy Cross College 285 University of Wisconsin–La Crosse 340 Charleston Southern University 226 Huntington University 286 Viterbo University 341 Coastal Carolina University 227 Manchester University 287 Wisconsin Lutheran College 342 Coker College 228 Taylor University 288 College of Charleston 229 WEST Erskine College 230 Iowa Furman University 231 Cornell College 289 California Presbyterian College 232 Dordt College 290 Azusa Pacific University 343 Wofford College 233 Drake University 291 California Baptist University 344 Tennessee Grinnell College 292 California College of the Arts 345 Luther College 293 Belmont University 234 California Polytechnic State University 346 University of Northern Iowa 294 Carson-Newman University 235 Chapman University 347 Christian Brothers University 236 Kansas Dominican University of California 348 Holy Names University 349 King University 237 Baker University 295 La Sierra University 350 Lee University 238 Bethel College 296 Loyola Marymount University 351 Lipscomb University 239 Friends University 297 Occidental College 352 Maryville College 240 Kansas Wesleyan University 298 Pacific Union College 353 Rhodes College 241 Ottawa University 299 Sewanee The University of the South 242 Pepperdine University 354 Union University 243 Michigan Santa Clara University 355 University of Tennessee Adrian College 300 The Master’s university 356 at Chattanooga 244 Alma College 301 University of California, Santa Barbara 357 Calvin College 302 University of California, Santa Cruz 358 Texas Cornerstone University 303 University of La Verne 359 Abilene Christian University 245 Hillsdale College 304 University of San Diego 360 Baylor University 246 Kalamazoo College 305 Westmont College 361 Hardin-Simmons University 247 Michigan Technological University 306 Whittier College 362 Lubbock Christian University 248 Northern Michigan University 307 Woodbury University 363 Sam Houston State University 249 Siena Heights University 308 Colorado Southern Methodist University 250 Spring Arbor University 309 Southwestern University 251 Colorado Christian University 364 St. Edward’s University 252 Minnesota Colorado Mesa University 365 Stephen F. Austin State University 253 Macalester College 310 Naropa University 366 Texas Christian University 254 St. Olaf College 311 University of Denver 367 Trinity University 255 University of Minnesota - Morris 312 Western State Colorado University 368 University of Dallas 256 University of St. Thomas 313 Idaho University of Mary Hardin–Baylor 257 Nebraska Northwest Nazarene University 369 University of Texas at Dallas 258 Concordia University, Nebraska 314 The College of Idaho 370 West Viginia Creighton University 315 Montana Bethany College 259 Doane University 316 Carroll College 371 Davis & Elkins College 260 Nebraska Wesleyan University 317 Shepherd University 261 Wayne State College 318 Nevada North Dakota Sierra Nevada College 372 MIDWEST University of Mary 319 Oregon Illinois Ohio Eastern Oregon University 373 Aurora University 262 George Fox University 374 Capital University 320 Concordia University Chicago 263 Lewis & Clark College 375 Cedarville University 321 Elmhurst College 264 University of Portland 376 Defiance College 322 Illinois College 265 Warner Pacific College 377 Denison University 323 Illinois Wesleyan University 266 Willamette University 378 Hiram College 324 Judson University 267 Kenyon College 325 Utah Lewis University 268 Malone University 326 Loyola University Chicago 269 Westminster College of Utah 379 Miami University - Oxford 327 MacMurray College 270 Ohio Wesleyan University 328 Washington McKendree University 271 University of Dayton 329 Gonzaga University 380 Monmouth College 272 Walsh University 330 Pacific Lutheran University 381