September 2012

Santa Clara, Calif., Sept. 10, 2012- A new college ranking service has named Santa Clara University in the top 50 schools nationally and as a university likely to gain more recognition in the years to come. Unlike other rankings, The Alumni Factor judged colleges and universities on a survey of 42,000 alumni from 450 schools across the country. SCU came in 43rd out of 177 of the top schools listed by the The Alumni Factor.

"This is an excellent school that is emerging on the national scene and will rapidly grow in popularity and notoriety," says the Alumni Factor website. "Santa Clara grads do very well in the market and are accomplished in many fields."

Santa Clara University alumni who participated in the survey reported high employment, financial success, and increasing diversity among the many reasons they are proud to be alumni.

“The rankings come as no surprise to anyone affiliated with Santa Clara University,” says SCU President Michael Engh, S.J. “We pride ourselves on educating the whole person in the Jesuit tradition and ensuring that students make the most of their experience here. It is no wonder our alumni succeed after graduation and look back fondly on their time at SCU."

Santa Clara University also ranks third among the nation’s 28 Jesuit Universities. A 93 percent freshman retention rate and  87 percent graduation rate factored into SCU’s ranking. Nearly half of SCU alumni reported participating in community service as students, nearly a third participated in intramural sports, and more than 27 percent had internships. Alumni also reported good value for their education dollar.

The Alumni Factor is an independent organization with no affiliation to any colleges or news outlets. The overall rankings are based on 15 attributes including intellectual development, value, immediate job opportunities, and if the graduate would chose the school again. The only information provided by the school was alumni giving rates and graduation rates.

SCU alumni highlighted in the findings are JavaScript creator Brenden Eich, Seinfield producer and director Andy Ackerman, Farmers Insurance founder Thomas Leavey, Former White House spokesperson Dee Dee Myers, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.