UMW is one of fewer than 400 four-year schools to make Princeton Review’s 2021 “Best Colleges” list. Photo courtesy of Princeton Review.

The University of Mary Washington is among the best in the country, according to Princeton Review’s The Best 386 Colleges guide. The 2021 edition of the rankings publication, released last month, lists UMW among the top 13 percent of the thousands of four-year colleges and universities throughout the nation.

One of the longest-running and most well-respected guides of its type, the publication has been used for nearly three decades by degree-seeking college applicants and their parents looking for the best undergraduate academic experiences available in the U.S. Results published in this year’s book are based on 143,000 student surveys gauging both on- and off-campus involvement.

The guide describes each school’s student body, and provides ratings in such categories as campus life, academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid and sustainability. UMW received high marks in all categories, including academics, with students reporting to find faculty members both interesting and accessible.

“Perhaps what [they] value most is the level of communication they have with their professors,” the publication states. “As one impressed undergrad explains, ‘UMW professors go the extra mile to help students and ensure that they succeed, and students never hesitate to take time out of their day to go see their professors during their office hours for extra help’ … It’s quite evident that ‘they love what they teach and want you to love it as well.’ ” Read more.

UMW received high marks from Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings. The guide rates four-year schools on their contributions to the country and their commitment to public service and activism.

Less than two weeks into its fall semester, the University of Mary Washington has received a nationwide ranking that speaks to the heart of its mission.

Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide and Rankings placed UMW 24th among Top Master’s Universities and 21st in the Best Bang for the Buck Southeast Colleges category.

“We rate schools based on what they do for the country” and the public good, states an intro to the 2020 rankings, which rate four-year schools on their contribution to the public good, considering factors such as social mobility, research, public service and activism.

The guide’s Best Bang for the Buck category evaluates colleges on their success at recruiting and graduating non-wealthy students, and their ability to provide marketable degrees at affordable prices.

“The question we’re asking … is this,” Washington Monthly magazine editors Paul Glastris and Grace Gedye write. “Which colleges deliver the best results for taxpayers – who invest more than $150 billion annually in student financial aid – and for typical students, especially those who are minorities, the first in their family to attend college, or of modest means?” Read more.

UMW was ranked eighth among Virginia colleges and universities in a survey of more than 1,000 institutions of higher education across the country by WalletHub.

The University of Mary Washington is among the top eight colleges and universities in Virginia, according to a new survey released this week by the personal finance website WalletHub. UMW’s strong statewide and overall finish means that it is among the nation’s top-performing schools with the lowest possible costs to undergraduates.

Survey results, published in 2020’s Best College & University Rankings, compare more than 1,000 schools across the United States. The study measured performance in seven key areas – student selectivity, cost and financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes and career outcomes.

“Though success ultimately rests on students’ own determination and performance,” WalletHub states, “the quality of the schools they choose can certainly have an impact.”

Among institutions of higher education that made the survey’s Top Ten in Virginia – including the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, the University of Richmond, Virginia Tech and VMI – UMW ranked third in the “educational outcomes” category. Read more.