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This is the 23rd consecutive year that U.S. News & World Report has ranked Fairfield University in the Top 4 among universities in the North with master's degree programs. Fairfield also earned a high mark for the area of “Strong Commitment to Teaching,” ranking fourth in the regional listings.
Fairfield is the only university in Connecticut in the top 10 of the regional rankings. The North region includes universities in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
"I am once again pleased to see that Fairfield remains a terrific value and that our peers continue to hold Fairfield University in high esteem, based especially on our passionate commitment to student learning,” said the Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., senior vice president for academic affairs at Fairfield University.
The U.S. News ranking system uses quantitative measures in applying its formula, and “it's based on widely accepted indicators of excellence,” according to its website. “The rankings allow you to compare at a glance the relative quality of institutions based on such widely accepted indicators of excellence as freshman retention, graduation rates, and the strength of the faculty.”
In the 2014, U.S. News publication, Fairfield increased its score in the peer assessment category and was ranked 4th in the North region for schools where the faculty has an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. This year, Fairfield continued to achieve high marks in the areas of freshman retention rate at 88 percent, four-year graduation rate of 81 percent, and student faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Fairfield was also among schools selected for the category of “A-Plus Schools for B Students,” described in the publication as schools identified “that seek a broad, engaged student body and where non-superstars have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving.”
“Every one of our degree programs is designed and delivered in ways that promote intellectual excellence, integrative ways of thinking and doing, and a sense of civic engagement and social responsibility," Fitzgerald said. "Our faculty members are teaching scholars who impart their own love of lifelong learning to their students, who then go on to lead amazing lives of personal and professional accomplishment and generous service to the common good."
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