In the latest edition of the Best Colleges Rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Marymount University has once again been recognized for fostering an inclusive, diverse campus with a global perspective.
Among all public and private institutions in Virginia and Washington, D.C., Marymount leads the pack in Campus Ethnic Diversity. For Most International Students, Marymount is No. 1 for all institutions in Virginia and is tied with Georgetown University for No. 1 among Washington, D.C., colleges and universities.
Marymount’s undergraduate Nursing program was also ranked first for all Virginia private institutions.
“When our Saints attend Marymount University, they immerse themselves in a unique campus environment that includes an array of backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. It’s really an eye-opening experience you can’t get anywhere else,” explained Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University. “We are pleased that Marymount is garnering these high rankings as we focus on continuing to improve year after year and achieve national recognition, a goal laid out in our Strategic Plan, Momentum.”
For Regional Universities in the South, Marymount now ranks No. 1 for Campus Ethnic Diversity – a category that identifies colleges where students are more likely to encounter undergraduates from racial and ethnic groups different from their own. Marymount has consistently made gains in the Campus Ethnic Diversity category, as it ranked No. 2 in the 2021 Rankings and No. 3 in the 2020 Rankings for the region. According to recent data, Marymount’s diverse undergraduate student body is 25 percent Hispanic, 16 percent Black/African American and seven percent Asian.
Many studies show diversity on college campuses improves intellectual and cultural engagement among students and faculty. This top ranking follows Marymount recently becoming the first Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which requires at least 25 percent of an institution’s undergraduate population identify as Hispanic.
Marymount also stood out in the region for its high number of international students enrolled, coming in at No. 2 in the category. This past academic year, the University featured an undergraduate population with international students from 78 different countries. An updated statistic for the current academic year will be available following Marymount’s annual census in October.
Another category that Marymount gained ground in was Best Colleges for Veterans, in which it placed No. 17 in the region. This list aims to provide veterans and active-duty service members with data on which top-ranked schools make pursuing a college education more affordable. This is the third-straight year that Marymount has moved upwards in this ranking – in 2019, the University was listed at No. 40.
This climb in the Best Colleges for Veterans category occurs the same year that Marymount was honored as a Military-Friendly College, a “Best for Vets” college by the Military Times and a “College of Military Support” by Colleges of Distinction. To learn more about how Marymount supports its veteran and active-duty students, click here.
In the first year that U.S. News & World Report published a category for best undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs, Marymount achieved a national ranking, along with leading all Virginia private institutions. Marymount’s Nursing programs were also recognized by Colleges of Distinction, in addition to the University’s Business and Education programs as well.
For the overall ranking of Best Regional Universities in the South, Marymount was listed at No. 38. The scores from U.S. News & World Report are determined through several weighted key measures of quality that consist of graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, social mobility, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduate indebtedness. Marymount was also rated No. 57 for Best Value, which factors academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid.
For more information on the overall methodology used by U.S. News & World Report for its Best Colleges Rankings, click here.
