Monmouth University was recently recognized in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide, which ranks colleges and universities based on their contribution to the public good. Monmouth appears on the 2024 College Rankings: Master’s Universities list and the 2024 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list. This year, Monmouth earned significantly higher rankings in the list’s three main categories—social mobility, research, and promoting public services—while also rising 13 spots in the Best Bang for the Buck list.
Washington Monthly rates four-year, liberal arts colleges on demonstrated commitment to social mobility, research, and community and national service. The categories are weighted equally so that “top-ranked colleges needed to be excellent across the full breadth of our measures, rather than excelling in just one measure.” The publication determines scores by considering factors such as graduation, retention, Pell Grant eligibility, overall affordability, post-college outcomes, research opportunities, and more.
Monmouth made significant gains across all categories of Washington Monthly’s 2024 list, climbing 26 points in the social mobility index, 64 points in the research category, and 34 points in the public services category.
“I am so proud to see the progress of our strategic efforts to be a national leader at integrating excellence and access recognized again—at our highest-ever levels—in Washington Monthly’s roster of Master’s Universities and Best Bang for the Buck colleges,” said Monmouth University President Patrick F. Leahy. “Washington Monthly rates schools based on what they do for the country and, as such, has long championed higher education that makes quality college degrees available and affordable to students of all socioeconomic levels. Our 26-point leap in social mobility rankings aligns with that goal, and reflects the ambitions of our undergraduate students, nearly 50 percent of whom are first generation and/or Pell Grant-eligible.”
The 2024 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list ranks schools according to how well the institution “help[s] non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices” by taking a detailed look at the social mobility data component of the overall ranking. This marks Monmouth’s eighth appearance on the list and its first year in the top 100 schools in the country.
View the full rankings for the 2024 College Rankings: Master’s Universities list and the 2024 Best Bang for the Buck Colleges: Northeast list, and explore Washington Monthly’s full methodology.