Scranton Ranked in Top 50 for Doing Public Good
The University of Scranton ranked No. 47 among “Master’s Universities” in the nation in a listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to assess a school’s contribution to the “public good” through its graduates’ achievements in research, social mobility and community and national service.The University of Scranton ranked No. 47 among the 603 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2022 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good. Published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets to determine an overall rank based on what “schools do for the country.” According to the publication, they rank “four-year schools (national universities, liberal arts colleges, baccalaureate colleges, and master’s universities) based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and providing opportunities for public service.”
Washington Monthly also ranked the colleges in categories for “research,” “community and national service” and “social mobility.” Scranton ranked No. 39, No. 52 and No. 124, respectively, in these categories among master’s universities.
Washington Monthly weighted equally the colleges’ scores for research, social mobility and service to calculate the overall ranking. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants; and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects and voter engagement, among other factors.
This is the 13th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2023 guidebook, marking the 29th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 21 consecutive years, and ranked the University No. 7 in the nation for “Best Science Lab Facilities” in its latest edition of the guidebook.
