The University of Mary Washington is among the top eight colleges and universities in Virginia, according to a new survey released this week by the personal finance website WalletHub. UMW’s strong statewide and overall finish means that it is among the nation’s top-performing schools with the lowest possible costs to undergraduates.
Survey results, published in 2020’s Best College & University Rankings, compare more than 1,000 schools across the United States. The study measured performance in seven key areas – student selectivity, cost and financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes and career outcomes.
“Though success ultimately rests on students’ own determination and performance,” WalletHub states, “the quality of the schools they choose can certainly have an impact.”
Among institutions of higher education that made the survey’s Top Ten in Virginia – including the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, the University of Richmond, Virginia Tech and VMI – UMW ranked third in the “educational outcomes” category. That dimension considered both retention and graduation rates, number of bachelor’s degrees awarded and the presence of life experiences available to be converted to academic credits, such as community work, volunteerism, skills training and nonprofit participation.
UMW also ranked fourth in the state for campus safety.
Launched in August 2013, Wallet Hub provides statistics and conducts studies designed to provide transparency across industries for consumers. Among its education-related studies, the group has ranked states with the most and least student debt, the country’s best and worst community colleges, and the most and least educated cities in America.
Visit the site for complete survey results.
