Magazine: UMass Dartmouth top local school in local impact

WASHINGTON – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has achieved a ranking of No. 25 for the second year in a row among masters universities in rankings generated by Washington Monthly.

In its eighth year, the list of best master’s institutions in the United States focuses on the impacts a university has on individuals and communities. The Washington Monthly also ranks schools nationally and has a ranking for liberal arts colleges. A masters university is a college that offers degrees up through masters degrees.

“This ranking is worth celebrating as it captures issues that are at the forefront of the national debate on the future of higher education, including the upward mobility of students, encouragement of students to give something back to their community, and production of cutting-edge research that benefits society,” UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Divina Grossman said in a statement.

UMass Dartmouth “does pretty well on the percentage of students receiving Pell grants and does reasonably well on service, the percentage of students on work study and doing community service rather than working in the school cafeteria,” said magazine Editor in Chief Paul Glastris. “It’s sixth in the nation for that. And it’s got a pretty good net price of attendance at $14,416.”

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In Rhode Island, other schools made the list, but at lower levels in the rankings. The rankings of those schools include: No. 171, Providence College; No. 347, Rhode Island College; No. 377, Johnson & Wales University; No. 492, Salve Regina University; No. 615, Roger Williams University; and No. 653, Bryant University.

In the “Best Bank for the Buck” ranking, the University of Rhode Island came in at No. 87, from a possible field of thousands, said Glastris.

The rankings are accompanied by a cover story entitled, “What can colleges do for the country?” According to the magazine, “We rate schools based on what they are doing for the country – on whether they are improving social mobility, producing research and promoting public service.”

In its write-up of top ranking schools in the masters category, the magazine highlights third-ranked Truman State University in Missouri, as “in the top 30 nationwide in both the percentage of graduates who enter the Peace Corps and those who serve in ROTC.”

“Truman State is unusually successful in not just graduating students but also preparing them to make lasting contributions to society,” the magazine states. “It does this for a net price of roughly $12,000 per year, much less than the private institutions that are similarly ranked.”

Last year, UMass Dartmouth students contributed nearly 200,000 hours of service, valued at $5 million, to the community. The university also finished near the top of the President’s national Higher Education Honor Roll for community service.

One-third of UMass Dartmouth students receiving financial aid are awarded federal Pell Grants, which are reserved for students with the most financial need. UMass Dartmouth, along with the other UMass campuses, froze tuition and mandatory fees this year.

In the national university category, Brown University achieved a ranking of No. 82 while the University of Rhode Island came in at No. 240.

For liberal arts schools, Stonehill College came in at No. 167 and Wheaton College ranked No. 193.

For the full report, click HERE.

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