PROVIDENCE – As the 2018-2019 academic year heads into its second week for most colleges and universities, on Monday, U.S. News & World Report released the results of its 2019 Best Colleges survey which proved steady to slightly-slipping results locally.
Brown University remained at No. 14 among top national universities tying with Vanderbilt University. The state’s sole Ivy League institution was ranked No. 6 among top national universities for its undergraduate teaching program and was touted for the 15 percent of ethnically diverse students enrolled in a U.S. News special online list. Brown also topped the local list of best value colleges at No. 17. The total cost reported to U.S. News was $71,530, the cost after receiving grant money was $25,886 and 41 percent of its students receive need-based grants.
University of Rhode Island fell one position from 2018 rankings to tie for No. 157 among top national universities. The Ocean State’s flagship research institute also tied for No. 80 on the U.S News best public universities ranking.
After two years atop the best regional northern university list, Providence College fell to No. 2 in the 2019 survey. The Catholic university was also named the No. 4 best undergraduate teaching program among the best regional universities in the north and No. 20 for best value schools in the north.
In Smithfield, Bryant University was named the No. 10 best regional university in the north for a second consecutive year. Among that group it reached No. 3 for best veteran-friendly and its undergraduate teaching program tied for seventh place.
Newport’s Salve Regina University tied for No. 28 best regional universities in the north – a gain of nine places from the 2018 survey. It tied as the 13th most veteran-friendly regional universities in the north.
In Bristol, Roger Williams University was similarly ranked. It tied for No. 43 among best regional universities in the north – a decrease of six places from the 2018 survey.
Johnson & Wales University tied for No. 74 among the best regional universities north falling 10 places from its 2018 standing.
Nearby schools in Bristol County, Mass., also saw recognition. Tying for No. 86 among best national liberal arts colleges was Wheaton College in Norton whereas Stonehill College in Easton tied for No. 124 on the same list. Neither Wheaton nor Stonehill were included in the 2018 results for regional liberal arts colleges.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth tied for No. 104 among the nation’s top public schools also tying for No. 191 among top national universities.
Providence’s Rhode Island College and Warwick’s New England Institute of Technology were named on the footnotes of the best regional universities north and best regional colleges north, respectively.
Three undergraduate business programs at Rhode Island schools were highlighted in the 2019 survey. They are as follows:
- Bryant: No. 198 (tied)
- PC: No. 198 (tied)
- RWU: No. 311 (tied)
Stonehill’s undergraduate business program also tied for No. 405 in the list.
Four local schools’ engineering programs were recognized as well in the latest U.S. News results. They are as follows:
- Brown: No. 38 with a doctorate program (tied)
- URI: No. 116 with a doctorate program (tied)
- UMass Dartmouth: No. 132 with a doctorate program (tied)
- RWU: No. 82 without a doctorate (tied)
Additional local schools named among the best value schools are:
- Wheaton: No. 90 among national liberal arts colleges (tied)
- Total cost: $65,818
- Cost after receiving grants: $31,760
- 67 percent receiving need-based grants
- Salve Regina: No. 42 among best regional universities north (tied)
- Total cost: $57.746
- Cost after grants: $34,947
- 73 percent receive need-based grants
- RWU: No. 71 among best regional universities north
- Total cost: $52,370
- Cost after grants: $37,957
- 40 percent receiving need-based aid
- Bryant: No. 75 among best regional universities north
- Total cost: $59,904
- Cost with grants: $49,617
- 40 percent receive need-based aid
More than 1,800 schools were included in the 2019 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking.
This year, the methodology expanded to take into account additional social mobility indicators, eliminated acceptance rates as a factor and reduced input measures including expert opinions and SAT/ACT scores.
Coverage of the 2018 and 2017 surveys can be read in the Providence Business News archives.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
