Franklin College Ranked Well by U.S. News and World Report

Release date: September 24, 2012

U.S. News and World Report released its annual college rankings and Franklin College has been ranked fifth in the Midwest region in the Best Value Schools category.

U.S. News and World Report takes into account a college's academic quality and net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. More simply stated, the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the value offered by the college. U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.

"We are very pleased with our ranking in the region and are proud that in today's tough economy we are able to provide a significant percent of our students with academic scholarships and need-based grants, while still providing them with a rigorous curriculum," said Franklin College President Jay Moseley.

The college was also ranked eleventh in the Midwest region in the Best Regional Colleges category.

The college scored well in several categories in this ranking, but its small class size and high alumni giving rate helped its overall rank the most. Franklin College has 79 percent of classes with fewer than 20 students, and no classes with over 50 students, placing it in a tie for first place in both categories. The average alumni giving rate of 28 percent is also high compared to other schools in the Midwest region, placing the college second in that category.

U.S. News and World Report describes the Regional Colleges as those that focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts and in fields such as business, nursing and education. There are 370 colleges across the country in the category, which are then divided into four regions for ranking, North, South, Midwest and West.

"We understand these rankings are important to high school students and their parents as they begin their college search," said Moseley. "The strength of our liberal arts curriculum, our talented faculty who connect on a very personal level with our students and the support of our alumni had a significantly positive effect on our ranking."

For more information contact Franklin College's Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for significant careers through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 30 majors, 35 minors and nine pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA.