Academic quality, access to financial aid put Lawrence on ‘Best Value’ list

Lawrence University is ranked among the Best Value Schools in the country in a report released Monday by U.S. News & World Report.

Citing a combination of academic quality and the availability of need-based financial aid, the annual Best Value Schools rankings placed Lawrence at No. 37 among national liberal arts colleges.

Lawrence also placed in a tie at No. 58 for Best Liberal Arts Colleges and No. 60 for Best Undergraduate Teaching. 

“Our focus at Lawrence has always been on providing an educational experience that doesn’t just push students, but lifts them,” said Ken Anselment, vice president for enrollment and communication. “And that means investing in the quality of our academic and co-curricular offerings as well as student financial aid.

“Being rated a Best Value is a welcome by-product of our focus on these priorities at Lawrence.”

To be considered for U.S. News’ Best Value Schools listing, a school first had to be ranked among the Best Colleges. Those qualifying schools were then examined on the basis of net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.

“Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically,” the U.S. News report stated. 

Lawrence’s Full Speed to Full Need (FSFN) fund, part of the overarching $220 million Be the Light! Campaign, is a key effort in the university’s commitment to make sure the doors are open to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The FSFN fund, which has surpassed $82 million to date, has already delivered direct financial aid assistance to 250 students, and another 100 incoming students are expected to benefit in the 2019-20 academic year.

The U.S. News rankings come on the heels of similar plaudits from The Princeton Review, which last month ranked Lawrence as the No. 4 Impact School in the country, included LU on its list of the best 385 colleges and hailed it as one of the 200 Best Value Schools.