By Steven Mauch · Contributing Writer
The college has been ranked second for “Best Value in the North” and fifth overall in the region by U.S. News and World Report.
The U.S. News ranking is the second recent ranking that highly rated the college, following The Princeton Review’s rankings that The Collegian reported on earlier this year. “These rankings affirm that Grove City College offers an exceptional education that combines rigorous academics and a remarkable value in our distinctly Christian community,” President Bradley Lingo said in a college news release. “The college’s commitment to academic excellence and affordable tuition ensures our graduates can live out their callings with purpose and integrity.”
The cost of attending the college contributed to the value ranking. According to a college press release, “The college’s annual tuition rate of $22,750 is less than half of the national average of $46,950.”
“Part of it has to do with the types of students we attract … and having high academic rigor means that you’re going to attract better students, and then if those students come here and then they end up graduating in four years, that makes a big difference,” Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs Peter Frank said. “So, for example, our graduation rate is somewhere around 80%, and you compare that to the state system in Pennsylvania, I think their average four-year graduation rate is around 28%, so it’s a pretty big difference, so that’s a big measure (of value).”
Frank also mentioned U.S. News looks at outcomes as well, such as career and graduate school placement, including what kinds of jobs the students get.
Frank later said that career services data show that “96% of students are in graduate school or working six months out.”
Lee Wishing III, vice president for student recruitment, also mentioned that students and faculty seek a rigorous education. Wishing continued to mention that companies want the work ethic and values the college affirms in its students.
Both Frank and Wishing said the rankings reflect highly on the faculty.
Frank discussed that part of attracting and maintaining the best faculty involves supporting them and providing the best facilities, referencing the renovation of Smith Hall. Wishing discussed how the college is attracting the best faculty in the country for a Christian school. Both Frank and Wishing discussed how the Christian community among students and between students and faculty contributes to the quality and value of the college.
Wishing also emphasized the different educational focus of the college, which stems from the belief that “there is a higher purpose to higher education.”
The Princeton Review ratings also showed that students from the college are among the happiest.
Wishing described how the result of a Christian education is joy, and that “the ultimate purpose of an education is virtue and joy.”
Frank concluded that the U.S. News and World Report’s findings separate the college from other higher education institutions.
“Grove City is very serious about being a Christian liberal arts college, and so helping people see that their time here at college is much more than just getting skills in a narrow discipline … so that you can go out and get a job,” Frank said. “That’s part of it, but the much bigger picture is that we’re hopefully helping you, with our liberal arts foundation rooted in (a) Christian worldview, helping you see a much bigger picture of what your purpose is in this world beyond just a career, but really a vocation, a calling.”
