Defiance College receives U.S. News ranking in top tier of Midwest baccalaureate colleges

Defiance College is once again listed among the top tier of baccalaureate colleges in the Midwest in the 2008 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges. Defiance’s designation in the category of Baccalaureate Colleges is 10 spots higher than last year’s ranking, moving to 40th.

“We are pleased to see Defiance College moving up in the ranks of some very good colleges,” said Defiance College president Dr. Gerald Wood. “Defiance College is a very solid academic institution, but we will not rest on these laurels. Our objective is to continue to strive for academic excellence.

“To move up 10 positions in one year in the U.S. News ranking is certainly an external affirmation of what we see happening in the classroom and in our experiential learning opportunities around the world. I will expect further affirmations from outside sources of our growing reputation in the years to come.”             

Schools in the Baccalaureate Colleges designation must focus on undergraduate programs with a variety of professional and pre-professional subject offerings available.  A total of 320 baccalaureate colleges comprise the North, South, East and Midwest regions. The Midwest region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.  

Rankings are based on a formula including several indicators of quality such as student/faculty ratio, student selectivity, student retention, financial resources, and alumni giving. U.S. News and World Report publishes the rankings as a tool for prospective students and parents in their college search process.

Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts institution offering more than 40 undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in education and business. The Princeton Review features Defiance College in Colleges with a Conscience:  81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement.  The College is also recognized in The Templeton Foundation’s Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges and was named with distinction to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.