Santa Clara University

SCU ranked among the best in the West again

For the 15th year in a row, Santa Clara University is ranked number two among "master's universities" in the West by U.S. News & World Report. The magazine highlighted Santa Clara University as an institution with programs that enhance learning and lead to student success. In the category titled, "Programs to Look For," SCU was one of a small number of colleges and universities singled out for its service learning programs and learning communities. Other California institutions listed in the same category were Stanford University and Pitzer College.

U.S. News also reported that of the 563 master's universities in the entire U.S., SCU has:

• The fourth-highest graduation rate-81 percent. This is the percentage of freshmen who complete their degrees in six years
• The second-highest freshman retention rate-93 percent of SCU freshmen advance to their sophomore year. Only two schools in the nation had a better rate.
• One of the "best undergraduate business programs in the country." In California, only the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Southern California were ranked higher.

The national survey also rated SCU as a "best-value" school in the West. To determine which schools offer the best value, the magazine used a formula that related a school's academic quality to the cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of financial aid.

In its annual ranking, "Best Colleges 2004," in the U.S., the magazine compared SCU to all other comprehensive universities that offer a range of undergraduate programs and master's degrees, but few doctoral programs. The Western region includes all colleges and universities from Colorado to the West Coast, including Texas.

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. NewsWeb site, www.usnews.com.