Monmouth University was recently featured in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide, which ranks colleges and universities based on “what they do for our country.” Monmouth appears on the 2023 College Rankings: Master’s Universities list and the 2023 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list. This year, Monmouth climbed 26 spots on the Best Bang for the Buck list and ranked 19 points higher on the index that measures an institution’s social mobility.
Washington Monthly ranks its 2023 master’s universities by their contribution to the greater good in three categories: social mobility, research, and community and national service. The categories are weighted equally so that “top-ranked colleges needed to be excellent across the full breadth of our measures, rather than excelling in just one measure.” The publication determines scores by considering factors such as graduation, retention, Pell Grant eligibility, overall affordability, post-college outcomes, research opportunities, community service, and more.
“It is gratifying to see third-party recognition of the progress we have made in serving first generation and Pell Grant-eligible students,” said Monmouth University President Patrick F. Leahy. “We have placed expanded access to a private education at the center of our strategic plan—in lockstep with our ambition for academic excellence—which is also reflected in the incoming Class of 2027. More than fifty percent of our first-year students are first generation and/or Pell Grant-eligible,” he said.
The 2023 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list ranks schools according to how well the institution “help[s] non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices” by taking a detailed look at the social mobility data component of the overall ranking. This marks Monmouth’s seventh appearance on the list.
The Washington Monthly analysis is increasingly being seen as the future of college rankings. “It’s changed the conversation,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal, “and it’s shown college leaders that there is more than one set of values that they can use to guide their institutions.” View the full rankings for the 2023 College Rankings: Master’s Universities list and the 2023 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list, and explore Washington Monthly’s full methodology.