Lawrence lands on annual best college rankings from Fiske, College Raptor

Lawrence University is keeping good company in two recently released national rankings.

The 2023 edition of the annual Fiske Guide to Colleges includes Lawrence on its list of 20 recommended “Best Buys” among all colleges and universities in the country. The “Best Buys” list is divided into 10 public and 10 private schools, with a focus on “outstanding educational value as determined by academic quality in relation to the net cost of attendance.” Lawrence landed on the list of 10 private colleges and universities along with Centre College, The Cooper Union, Oglethorpe University, Olin College of Engineering, Rice University, St. John’s College, Vanderbilt University, Warren Wilson College, and Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges has been a staple among published college guides since it was launched in 1982 by Edward B. Fiske, the former education editor of The New York Times. (It began as The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges.) It features more than 320 selective colleges and universities, with data and rankings based on institutional reports and interviews with students.

Meanwhile, College Raptor released its 2023 college rankings, placing Lawrence among the 25 Best Great Lakes Colleges. The region covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and the ranking includes public and private schools of all sizes. Lawrence landed at No. 20 on the list. It is the second highest ranked college or university in Wisconsin, and the highest ranked among the state’s private schools. Lawrence is on the list along with the likes of University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, and Denison University.

College Raptor’s annual rankings are divided into multiple categories to “shine the spotlight on the best colleges that the US has to offer,” the company says. “Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, academic rigor, and student success.”