University of Mary Washington received top rankings in this year’s U.S. News & World Report. Photo by Norm Shafer.

The University of Mary Washington has been recognized among the nation’s top schools by U.S. News & World Report, which released its 2023 “Best Colleges” list today. UMW ranked 11th among public liberal arts colleges and 149th among national liberal arts colleges, public and private.

This year’s U.S. News ranking marks a change in UMW’s Carnegie Classification category. Previously, UMW earned top marks as a public regional university, but with a longstanding mission to support – and record of excellence in – the public liberal arts and sciences, the University asked to be recategorized. In this edition, UMW joins public liberal arts peers, including the nation’s military academies, which perennially top the list.

Now in its 38th year, the U.S. News rankings evaluate more than 1,450 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality. Read more.

University of Mary Washington received top marks in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2022 rankings, released today.

The University of Mary Washington has been recognized among the nation’s top schools by U.S. News & World Report, which released its 2022 “Best Colleges” list today.

UMW ranked seventh among public regional universities in the South and 19th among all regional universities in the South. Within the same category, the University also was rated sixth among best colleges for veterans, and earned spots on the publication’s lists of best undergraduate business and nursing programs. Mary Washington is also included in the “Top Performers on Social Mobility” roster, which looks at schools with economically disadvantaged students.

Now in its 37th year, the U.S. News rankings evaluate more than 1,400 colleges and universities on academic quality using several metrics, with the greatest emphasis placed on outcomes. Schools’ ability to retain and graduate students from different socioeconomic backgrounds and graduates’ average indebtedness are considered, along with class size, undergraduate academic reputation, and investment in instruction and student services. Read more.

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.