Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept.13, 2002 –Santa Clara University retains more freshmen and graduates more of them than 99 percent of similar universities in the U.S., according to a report released today by U.S. News & World Report.

The report ranked SCU second among all 134 public and private "master’s universities" in the West for the 13^th consecutive year.

It also rated the 7,400-student Jesuit, Catholic University as the third-best value in the West among "great schools at great prices."

In its annual ranking of the "Best Colleges" in the U.S., the magazine compared the University to all other comprehensive universities that offer a range of undergraduate programs and master’s degrees, but few doctoral programs.

U.S. News also reported today that of these 572 master’s universities in the entire U.S., Santa Clara has:

• The third-best academic reputation among the nation’s college presidents and deans.
• The fifth-highest graduation rate -- 81 percent – the percent of freshmen who complete their degree in six years.
• The second-highest freshman retention rate -- 93 percent of freshmen advance to their sophomore year. The national average is about 75 percent.

In addition, the magazine also reported that:

• SCU’s 12-to-1 ratio of students to faculty was bettered by only 10 other master’s universities in the western region, which includes colleges and universities in all states from the Rockies to the Pacific, plus Texas and Oklahoma.
• The Leavey School of Business at SCU is the 11^th best undergraduate business program in the West, among all universities and colleges, and in the top 50 in the U.S. The SCU undergraduate business program was ranked third in California behind the Haas School at UC/Berkeley and the Marshall School at the University of Southern California.
• The Leavey School’s undergraduate program in Management narrowly missed a top-20 ranking among all universities and colleges, ranked 21^st.
• The Universities’ new Residential Learning Communities were recognized with 24 similar programs, as "Programs that really work."

To determine which colleges and universities offer the best value, the magazine used a formula that related a school’s academic quality to the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of financial aid.

The magazine’s overall rankings relied on: academic reputation, graduation rates, class size, percent of full-time faculty, student/faculty ratios, retention of students, student test scores and grades, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

The "Best Colleges" rankings are on the U.S. News Web site, www.usnews.com. There also are other rankings: of national universities, such as Stanford University, and liberal arts colleges, such as Mills College.

-30-

About Santa Clara University:

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 7,400 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice.

For more information about Santa Clara University and its programs, see www.scu.edu.