Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota ranked No. 3 in the “Best Value” category among all Regional Universities in the Midwest — and No. 1 among all Minnesota universities in this category — according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 ratings.
Prospective students and undergraduate parents often look at key rankings when deciding on a school to attend, which is why it’s important to promote and celebrate rankings when they showcase our university. While the Marketing and Communication Department shares rankings on our website, in marketing materials (including a new billboard campaign), on social media, and with regional media, you can also play a role in helping share our new No. 1 value ranking.
According to criteria, the best value calculation takes into account the school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. According to U.S. News, “The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.”
Based on a recent brand survey from Modern Climate, the organization Saint Mary’s is working with on our brand refresh, prospective students are looking for schools that provide the best value — cost and quality are top priorities. The survey identified the top three characteristics prospective undergraduate students are seeking when selecting a college are:
- Affordability
- Academic excellence
- Safety
The university was also ranked No. 34 in the Best Regional Universities of the Midwest category. The ranking positions Saint Mary’s in the top 20% of the 157 schools listed in this category and as third among all Minnesota universities in this category.
According to the institutional data, in 2019, Saint Mary’s first-year undergraduate class of 301 included more than 85% of students coming from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, which shows a large portion of our undergraduate student population comes from the Midwest region.
Saint Mary’s is proud of these results, and we encourage you to share this exciting news with colleagues, partners, and most importantly prospective students. Let’s utilize this message in as many opportunities as we can.