I am pleased to share some good news with you regarding our U.S. News rankings, which were embargoed until today.

As you know, in the course of the past several years, we have seen our U.S. News ranking among national research universities fall from a high of #53 to a disappointing #74 last year. Thanks to the hard work of many members of the University community, this year we saw a significant turnaround: we rose from #74 to #66, a rise of 8 spots in one year.

Looking more closely at the numbers, this year we are #41 among private research universities in the country; #7 among research universities in New York state; #6 among Catholic research universities; and #4 among Jesuit research universities.

Our overall ranking is #66, and we fared well in the sub-rankings that make up the total score:

• Peer Assessment: 3.3 (up from 3.1)
• Undergraduate Teaching: #44 (down from 34 last year)
• Student Excellence/Selectivity: #69 (up from 70 last year)
• Pell Graduation: 80%
• Faculty Resources: #56 (down slightly from 54 last year)
• Financial Resources: #108 (up slightly from 110 last year)
• Graduation and Retention: #73 (up from 78 last year)
• Veterans’ Ranking: #38 (up from 45 last year)
• Alumni Giving: #45 (up from 52 last year)
• Best Value Ranking: #82 (up from 87 last year)
• Social Mobility: #203 (which puts us at #23 among the top 70, and #34 among the top 100; as well as #6 among private schools in the top 70 and #8 among all schools in the top 100)

In addition, I remind you that the Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked us #15 among private colleges and universities for improving the upward social mobility of students who come from families of very modest means.

The Gabelli School of Business:

• Undergraduate Program: #67 (down slightly from 66 last year)
• Entrepreneurship: #15
• Finance: #14
• International Business: #10
• Marketing: #20

Graduate Program:

• Full-time MBA: #80
• Part-time MBA: #58

The School of Law:

• Overall: #27 (up from 39 last year)
• Part-time program: #2 (up from 3 last year)
• Trial Advocacy: #9
• Dispute Resolution: #13
• Clinical Training: #17
• Intellectual Property Law: #21
• Business-Corporate: #17
• Contracts-Commercial Law: #23
• Criminal Law: #17
• Constitutional Law: #25

Separately, in the recently released National Law Journal’s “Go-To Law Schools” ranking, Fordham Law ranked 21 overall and 11 in alumni promoted from associates to partner. This ranking is based on law schools that sent the highest percentage of the J.D. class of 2019 to the largest 100 law firms.

The Graduate School of Social Service is ranked at #25, and the Graduate School of Education at #39.

As I have said before, it is near impossible to capture the quality of a University in one number, and indeed the U.S. News rankings, covering so many disparate institutions as they do, correlate more strongly with endowment than any other factor. Nonetheless, it is good to see our rankings more closely approach what we know to be the high value of a Fordham education. I share them with you in this spirit.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, S.J.

“At GSS we care deeply about our students and about the profession of social work. This commitment is what I see reflected in the USA Today ranking,” said Debra McPhee, Ph.D., dean of GSS.  “Of course it’s always wonderful to have the hard work and dedication of our faculty recognized in this way.”

“Both of these programs are highly acclaimed, and prepare students for a career that helps to change and improve other people’s lives,” stated the paper.

USA Today went on to highlight a curriculum that includes human rights, social justice, human behavior, and social welfare policy and services courses, designed to gain an understanding of social work.

“These classes also help to enhance communication skills and give students the opportunity to practice working with others,” stated the paper.

The paper’s ranking also placed the program’s average mid-career salary within the top three on the list, which was released on June 11.

According to the magazine, 75 percent of the 1,885 students in the Class of 2009 completed at least one internship during their time at the University.

Fordham tied with Duke University on the list of top 10 institutions.

U.S. News tabulated the statistics by using internship data for the Class of 2009 submitted by 692 schools.

Internships have become a particularly important part of the college experience, the magazine noted, as the increase in people with college degrees outpaced U.S. population growth by more than threefold over the past decade.

Gaining career-development experience as an undergraduate is one way that a student can stand out. Fordham was ranked with other high-performing institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania (No. 1), University of Pittsburgh (No. 7) and Johns Hopkins University (No. 9).

One common thread for many of the schools in the top 10 is an urban setting; George Washington University and American University are in Washington D.C., for instance, while Seton Hall University is near New York City.

For more information, visit U.S. News & World Report website.