Calvin College ranked first in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” And Dordt College ranked 11th in the same category in a field of 107 colleges.
The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Calvin College is the official college of the Christian Reformed Church. Dordt College, in Sioux Center, Iowa, is one of four regional colleges that also receive support from the CRC.
Both schools were ranked in the category of comprehensive bachelor’s colleges in the U.S. Midwest. Rankings are based on ratings for such things as administration peer assessment, freshman retention rate, and graduation rate.
Calvin director of admissions Dale Kuiper is pleased to see Calvin recognized as the best school in its category, tying for first place with St. Mary’s, a women’s Catholic college in South Bend, Ind., that is Notre Dame’s sister school. In both 2005 and 2004, Calvin was ranked second, behind St. Mary’s.
“The number-one ranking is a positive thing,” Kuiper said, “for our students and for prospective students. And it’s also encouraging news for alumni, parents, donors, and friends of the college.”
For the 14th-year running, Dordt College also ranked high in the annual list, placing 11th. Dordt president Carl E. Zylstra noted that Dordt has a low student-to-faculty ratio and incredibly high alumni support.
“With a student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1, each student attending Dordt College is assured of all the help and personal attention they need to successfully prepare for their personal and career goals,” said Zylstra. And with nearly half (45 percent) of alumni annually making a donation to the college, Dordt is able to provide 98 percent of students with financial aid.
All ranking information is available on the U.S. News website at www.usnews.com.
About the Author
Gayla Postma retired as news editor for The Banner in 2020.
