Monmouth University reached No. 17, its highest ranking yet, on the U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Colleges list in the Regional Universities North category. In addition to this ranking, Monmouth also again made headway on the lists of Best Colleges for Veterans, Best Value Schools, and rose 26 spots in Top Performers on Social Mobility, while also making the list of Most Innovative Schools in the North for the first time.
“I am particularly proud of our 26-spot jump in the Social Mobility category,” started Patrick Leahy, Ed.D., President of Monmouth University. The Top Performers on Social Mobility list evaluates how many students are enrolled at and subsequently graduate from an institution who are financially disadvantaged and thus awarded federal Pell Grants. “This fall we have welcomed the finest class in our history, and fully half of them (50%) are FLI students – that is, first-generation and/or low-income students.” What Leahy is referring to is the Class of 2027, which has exceeded a number of statistical precedents, such as having the highest average GPA of any incoming class and consisting of half of first-generation and low-income students.
In light of the 26-spot ascension, officially ranking Monmouth at No. 51, Leahy expressed what he hopes students who are potentially considering Monmouth as their post-secondary education take away from this distinction. “I hope this ranking demonstrates to prospective students that we are serious about making a first-rate, private education at Monmouth as accessible as possible,” he said. “Our strategic plan goal, in fact, is to integrate excellence and access like no other school like us in the country. This is evidence that we are on our way.”
In addition to the No. 51 spot on the Social Mobility list, Monmouth also debuted at No. 22 on the Most Innovative Schools in the North list. Rankings here are based on which schools are making some of the best breakthrough improvements in a multitude of areas such as curriculum, faculty and students, campus life, technology, and facilities.
Of the first-time ranking Leahy said, “This is a reflection of our unique academic programs and creative co-curricular support systems. Our unique centers for distinction also deserve recognition for their innovative programming and activities, all aimed at promoting awareness of specific issues and serving the needs of our local and global communities.”
Monmouth additionally ranked at No. 64 on the Best Value School list and at No. 43 for
Best Colleges for Veterans. For the 2024 edition of the ranking, U.S. News & World Report replaced factors such as alumni giving and student borrowing with a greater emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduates. This change, according to Leahy, is in almost complete alignment with the 2021 strategic plan that the University adopted in regard to moving forward in the coming years as an institution. Despite these accomplishments, however, Leahy emphasizes that the ultimate goal lies in serving the students at Monmouth.
“Rising in the various rankings is not our aim; serving students as well as possible is,” Leahy noted. “I hope our students, faculty, and staff feel comforted that the incredible work done around Monmouth on a day-to-day basis is increasingly being recognized by independent third parties.”
