Abilene Christian University once again scored in the top quartile of
quality and as a "Best Value" in one of the nation’s most prestigious
college guides – the 2006 U.S. News & World Report rankings of "America's
Best Colleges."
U.S. News & World Report ranked ACU 20th overall among the 123 schools in
the 15-state West region of the "Best Universities-Master's" category,
placing it in the top quartile.
In addition, ACU was listed among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" for the
West region. Schools in the "Great Schools, Great Prices" category are
selected based on academic quality and the cost of attendance for a student
receiving an average financial aid package.
"These rankings help confirm our success in providing the highest quality of
education while remaining affordable for students," said Dr. Royce Money,
ACU president. "We are pleased with our consistent ranking in the top
quartile of quality and the bottom quartile of price."
Of the 30 Texas schools in the "Best Universities-Master's" category, only
two were ranked higher than ACU – top-ranked Trinity University and St.
Mary's University, both of San Antonio.
The rankings are based on several criteria, including peer assessment,
graduation rate, freshmen retention rate, student-faculty ratio and entrance
exam scores.
ACU's scores reflected an increase of freshmen who were in the top quartile
of their high school class and an increased graduation rate compared to last
year.
The book ranks 572 total "Best Universities-Master's" in the North, South,
West and Midwest regions. The "Best Universities-Master's" category
represents universities that offer a full range of undergraduate degrees,
some master's degrees, and few, if any, doctoral degrees.
U.S. News uses six categories of indicators to capture academic quality in
the 'Master's" grouping: peer assessment (25 percent), retention (25
percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (15 percent),
financial resources (10 percent) and alumni giving (5 percent).
