The University of Minnesota Morris made a significant leap in Washington Monthly’s annual ranking of liberal arts colleges, coming in at 18 in this year’s standings as compared to 27 last year and 30 in 2023.
In addition to rising into the top 25 Liberal Arts ranking, UMN Morris was in the top 10% in the All Schools ranking and in the top 20 in the Midwest for “Best Bang for the Buck.”
Washington Monthly assesses colleges based on their "contribution to public good," and its rankings are based on three broad and equally weighted categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and doctoral candidates), and service (encouraging students to give something to their country and community).
The editors of Washington Monthly state, “To climb our list, colleges can’t just cater to the children of the donor class, spend money on new buildings and cover the costs with higher tuition, or let lower-income students flounder and leave without graduating. Instead, they must open their doors to non-wealthy students, help them earn degrees that lead to decent incomes, encourage them to give back to their communities, and keep a check on spending.”
Founded in 1969, Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine covering politics, government, culture, and the media. The College Guide and Rankings appear in the magazine’s September issue and are available online.