Elms College Recognized in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

CHICOPEE — The College of Our Lady of the Elms ranks in the top 25 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of Best Regional Colleges (North). Elms is one of only five colleges in the state that made the top 25, and one of only two in Western Mass. The college also ranked 10th on the list of Best Value Schools in the region, and ninth in the Freshman Retention Rate category.

The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are designed to help students and their families find colleges that offer the best academic value for their money. The list provides at-a-glance breakdowns of each institution, and ranks them based on indicators including value and first-year student retention rate.

The Best Value category considers each school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance in 2014-15 for a student receiving average need-based financial aid. “The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal,” U.S. News notes.

In the Freshman Retention Rate category, the publication explains that up to one-third of first-year students do not return for their second year of college because of financial issues, family problems, or other hurdles. “Some colleges do a great job of taking care of their freshmen; some don’t,” U.S. News notes. The retention rates in this category represent the average percentage of freshmen who started college in autumn 2010 through fall 2013 and who returned to school the following autumn. Elms College’s retention rate is 82%.