Noteworthy and Noted Education

Nationally Ranked by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report has recognized St. Edward’s as one of “America’s Best Colleges.” In the 2012 rankings, St. Edward’s held its place as 21st among universities in the Western Region. The ranking marks the ninth time St. Edward’s has made the magazine’s prestigious “Best Of” list in as many years. St. Edward’s University is proud to continue a strong position in the rankings and to be one of only five Texas schools ranked in the top 25 of regional universities.

The formula used by U.S. News to rank schools includes:

• Peer assessment
• Graduation rate
• Percentage of classes under 20 students
• Percentage of full-time faculty
• Student-faculty ratio
• SAT scores for incoming freshmen
• Percentage of freshmen who are in the top 25% of their high school class
• The university’s overall acceptance rate

Named an "Up-and-Coming University" by Academic Peers

St. Edward's University has been named among the top five "Up-and-Coming Universities" in the Western Region by its academic peers in a U.S. News & World Report survey. College officials were asked to nominate schools ranked in the U.S. News "America's Best Colleges 2010" that are making innovative improvements in academics, faculty, students, campus life, diversity and facilities.

Listed Among "America's Best Colleges" by Forbes and CCAP

St. Edward's University is recognized as one of "America's Best Colleges" by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP). In their 2011 joint report, Forbes and the CCAP ranked 650 undergraduate institutions based on the quality of the education they provide and the experience and achievements of their students.

Nationally Recognized for Student Engagement

Students scored St. Edward’s highly in the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a tool for measuring collegiate quality based on indicators of student engagement. The survey does not rank schools, but rather provides benchmarks that illustrate the extent to which undergraduate students engage in practices that are important to their learning. The 2007 NSSE survey includes data from 313,000 randomly selected first-year and senior students at 610 colleges and universities. St. Edward’s exceeded the national average in all five benchmark areas:

• Level of academic challenge
• Active and collaborative learning
• Student interactions with faculty
• Enriching educational experiences
• Supportive campus environment

Read more about the NSSE survey »

Featured by Princeton Review Among “Best Colleges” and “Colleges with a Conscience”

The Princeton Review named St. Edward’s University to 2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region. Additionally, the Princeton Review and Campus Compact selected St. Edward’s for inclusion in a 2005 college guide, “Colleges with a Conscience: An Engaged Student’s Guide to College.” Highlighting socially responsible colleges and universities, the book is designed to help high school students incorporate service and involvement opportunities into their college selection process and to showcase campuses making an institutional commitment to engage in their communities.

Included in The New York Times “Colleges of Many Colors” List

The New York Times recognized St. Edward’s University as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse private universities in the country in its "Colleges of Many Colors" list. Featured in the Nov. 5, 2006 edition of the paper’s Education Life section, the list included 57 private schools, including Harvard, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and Duke, and 81 public schools. St. Edward’s and Rice University were the only two private universities in Texas to make the list.

Named a “College of Distinction”

St. Edward’s University has been recognized as a 2010-2011 College of Distinction™ for its exemplary commitment to four key areas: Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Communities and Successful Outcomes. Colleges of Distinction is a college guide for students, parents and counselors. The organization recognizes schools that excel in the value of the education and experiences they provide.

Winner of Chamber of Commerce “Innovation Award”

St. Edward’s is the proud winner of the Innovation Award: Architect of Ideas, presented by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Twenty-four Austin-area businesses were recognized for outstanding business accomplishments during the Eighth Annual Greater Austin Business Awards held Aug. 27, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel.

Criteria for the award included: a willingness to make meaningful change to improve products, services, programs, process and operations; integration of innovation into daily work environment; and understanding factors that affect marketplace success. The St. Edward’s nomination focused on the success of our campus master plan and two significant commitments that will expand the range of educational opportunities for St. Edward’s students: the university’s expansion to France and new affiliation with Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.

Awarded Keck Grant for Undergraduate Research on HIV                                

In 2007, the university was awarded $260,000 from the W.M. Keck Foundation to establish an interdisciplinary undergraduate research project on HIV drug resistance that will be integrated into the science curriculum. St. Edward’s is one of six liberal arts universities in the country to have received a Keck grant in 2007.

Listed Among “Best Schools for Hispanic Students”

The student body at St. Edward’s reflects the demographics of the state, especially in its service to Hispanics, who make up 30% of the student body. St. Edward’s has been repeatedly listed among Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine’s “Best Schools for Hispanic Students.”

Home to Longest Running CAMP

St. Edward’s is home to the nation’s longest continuously running College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2008. The program was the subject of a national news story, which was reported by Emmy Award Winning ABC News correspondent John Quiñones on ABC World News Tonight.

Participant in the University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN)

In an ongoing effort to help prospective students and their families make informed choices for a college education, St. Edward’s is a participant in the University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN). U-CAN is a web-based consumer information project that provides free comparative data on colleges and universities. U-CAN provides online institutional profiles with dozens of targeted links to each university’s web site. The data is provided in a common format for each university and includes information on:

• Admissions
• Academics
• Student Demographics
• Graduation Rates
• Most common fields of study
• Accreditation
• Faculty information
• Class size
• Tuition and Financial Aid
• Student Life
• Campus Safety