By Kiara Catanzaro
News Assignment Editor
US News & World Report’s 2014 list of best college values in the North ranked St. Bonaventure University fifth, SBU’s highest rank ever on the publication’s “Great Schools at Great Prices” list.
The magazine determined the value of the college ranking by ratio of academic quality to price, need-based aid and average discount. At St. Bonaventure, 75.6 percent of students receive some form of need-based grant, and the average annual cost of attendance after receiving grants based on need is $22,224, according to the school’s statistics
“At a time when colleges are coming under a lot of scrutiny nationally, it’s reassuring to know that we’re still considered such a great value,” said Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president, in a press release. “People often become fixated on the literal bottom line without considering how generous our scholarship and aid packages are.”
Sister Margaret also said Bonaventure successfully prepares their students for their future careers after college, which adds to the worth of an education at St. Bonaventure.
“I think the fact that 95 percent of our students are either employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation speaks volumes about our value,” Sister Margaret said.
The achievement gave students another reason to appreciate St. Bonaventure and the education they will receive while they are here, according to Emily-Jo Manchester, a sophomore Spanish major.
“I have a lot of pride in my school, but this accomplishment made me realize how thankful I am to be a Bonnie,” Manchester said. “It’s reassuring to know that my money will be well-spent regarding my education, and that I can expect a positive outlook for my future after graduation.”
Bona’s rounds out the top five. Also in the top five are Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., Villanova University in Villanova, Pa., Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. and the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y.
Aside from acknowledging our value as a university, the university will benefit in the future regarding prospective students and their families. Tom Missel, director of marketing and media relations, said the ranking should be beneficial for St. Bonaventure recruitment.
“It’s always difficult to quantify how much stock prospective students and their families put into these annual rankings, but I’d be lying if I said we weren’t thrilled with the news,” Missel said. “Hopefully, being labeled a good value by such a reputable organization will cause more families and prospective students to stop and take a closer look at us, to see that the tangible and intangible benefits of a Bonaventure education are really worth the investment.”
The report was published on Sept. 10, according to the release. It was published both online and in their print edition.
St. Bonaventure was recognized by the Princeton Review in August for academic excellence. They ranked the university one of the best 378 Colleges in the nation.
Ann Lehman, St. Bonaventure’s director of institutional research, said the rankings this year include an important addition.
“They’ve added predicted graduation rate,” Lehman said. “The rankings show our students perform better than predicted. This is a data-based confirmation of our brand promise — that our students are becoming extraordinary.”
