News Release
August 2006
Bethlehem, Pa., August 24, 2006— Moravian College again ranked among the nation’s
National Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S. News and World Report’s America’s
Best Colleges. In the 2007 edition, Moravian College is recognized among the top
100 liberal arts colleges in a number of important categories including lowest acceptance
rates of applicants, highest proportion of classes with under 20 students,
and highest graduation rates. In addition, Moravian is one of 79 liberal arts colleges
nationwide to be listed as an “A+ Option for B Students.”
"It is important to the Moravian College community that we are listed among the top
100 National Liberal Arts Colleges in these important indicators," said Bernard Story,
vice president for enrollment. "We are proud to be included among the best colleges in
the country. We continue to implement new programs and initiatives that we believe will
help Moravian continue to improve the college experience for our students.”
With an acceptance rate of 66%, Moravian ranked 97th among liberal
arts colleges for lowest acceptance rates—the ratio of students admitted to applications. Two-thirds
of Moravian classes are attended by 20 students or less, ranking the college 95th
in “highest proportion of classes under 20.” Moravian ranked 96th in highest
graduation rate among liberal arts colleges with 71% of its students graduating. According
to U.S. News, this indicator demonstrates “added value” which exemplifies
the effect of the college’s programs and policies on the graduation rate of students
after controlling for spending and student aptitudes.
“These
indicators speak to the quality of the educational experience at Moravian. We attract
quality students who have the opportunity to learn in small classes and receive relevant
personal attention from faculty and administrators. High retention and graduation rates
are a measure of satisfaction among our students. The results are graduates with the
skills they will need to think, interpret the world, and to compete in the economic and
cultural climate of the new century,” Story continued.
New to the America’s Best Colleges this year is “A+ Options for
B Students,” a list of quality institutions that accept a significant number of
students with grade-point-averages and SAT scores in the average-to-above-average range.
Moravian one of 6 liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania is recognized as an excellent
option for “serious B students with a desire to achieve.” Moravian is joined
on the list by Allegheny College, Juniata College, Susquehanna University, Ursinus College,
and Washington and Jefferson College.
For the ninth year, Moravian was ranked in the third tier of national
liberal arts colleges. Moravian broke into the National category in 1997, and is only
one of seventeen such schools in Pennsylvania. Locally, Lafayette College and Muhlenberg
College also are included
in the National Liberal Arts category.
There are 215 colleges in the United States that rank in the national
liberal arts category. Moravian ranks as one of the schools that emphasize undergraduate
education and award at least 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines,
such as foreign languages, life sciences, philosophy, and psychology. The national
liberal arts schools tend to require higher college entrance test scores than those
in the regional category.
In addition to Moravian’s ranking in the U.S News and World
Report: America’s
Best Colleges, it is also included in notable publications that identify
the college as a quality institution. Moravian is included in The Princeton Review – Best
361 Colleges, Peterson's Competitive Colleges (440 Colleges for Top Students),
Kaplan’s Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges,
and Barrons Best Buys in College Education.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts college located
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's
sixth-oldest college. Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.
