September 10, 2001 Sp03 Contact: Sarah Maxwell Director of Media Relations 507.646.4183 U.S. News & World Report Ranks Carleton Fifth Among National Liberal Arts Colleges Northfield, Minn.—U.S. News & World Report magazine has ranked Carleton College fifth among the best liberal arts colleges in the nation, according to its Sept. 17, 2001 issue. Carleton is up from sixth place in 2000, and this marks the sixth consecutive year that the College has placed in the top 10. "It’s always nice to continue moving up in the rankings, but it’s important to remember that the 'best college' is the one that’s the best match for an individual student’s interest and talents," Lewis said. The rankings take into account the academic reputation of the school, admissions selectivity, retention and graduation rates, class size, financial resources, and alumni giving, among other factors. Since the magazine began using quantitative measurements in 1988, Carleton’s rank has gone steadily upward from an average of 12th in the early 1990s to eighth in the late 1990s. This year is the first time that Carleton has ranked in the top five. In academic reputation, Carleton received a score of 4.5 on a 5.0 scale to rank fifth overall. To determine reputation, the magazine tallied survey results from college presidents, deans and admissions directors at schools similar to Carleton. The magazine also ranked the College third in alumni giving, an indirect measure of alumni satisfaction, with a 61 percent alumni giving rate. Carleton ranked seventh in faculty resources, up from last year’s ranking of 10th in that category. Carleton’s acceptance rate is listed as 44 percent. U.S. News & World Report also ranked Carleton 28th in the nation in its category for best college value. The magazine measures value by relating a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its overall U.S. News ranking, with the net cost to a student who receives the average level of financial aid. Carleton is the only Midwestern college listed among the top 10 schools. The top three national liberal arts colleges this year, according to the report, are Amherst College in Massachusetts, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and Williams College, also in Massachusetts. # # # #