School ranked third out of Iowa’s 34 private colleges for second consecutive year
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Loras College is ranked third among Iowa’s thirty-four private not-for-profit colleges according to MONEY Magazine’s 2019 Best Colleges for Your Money list, as was announced on Monday, August 12.
MONEY Magazine analyzed graduation rates, tuition, family borrowing and alumni earnings, in addition to 22 other data points, of 744 schools across the nation to find the country’s top “best value” institutions.
“I am pleased that Loras again appears on Money’s Best College list. The recognition underscores that Loras not only offers an affordable education, but one that produces quality outcomes, as well,” Loras College President Jim Collins(’84) said.
In Iowa, Loras ranked higher at No. 326 than Clarke University, 377; Coe College, 416; Mount Mercy University, 417; Luther College, 443; Central College, 484; Simpson College, 506; Saint Ambrose University, 547; Northwestern College, 602; and Wartburg College, 614.
MONEY Magazine also used research and expert advice on education quality, financing and value to create its rankings.
Loras has launched several academic offerings to guide students toward career and life skills in recent years. These include: business analytics, neuroscience, wealth management and financial planning, and an ABET accredited Engineering program. At the graduate level, athletic training and school counseling have been added.
More than 50,000 students enroll at an Iowa private college. As such, 25 percent of all Iowa higher education students are enrolled in the state’s private colleges. However, Iowa private colleges confer 48 percent of all undergraduate degrees, 45 percent of all professional degrees and 34 percent of all graduate degrees that are awarded in Iowa each year.
According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, 78 percent of private four-year college graduates earned their degree in four years, compared to 60 percent at state four-year institutions.
About Loras College
Founded in 1839, Loras College leverages its historic roots as Iowa’s first college, the second oldest Catholic college west of the Mississippi River and one of the nation’s 10 diocesan colleges to deliver challenging, life-changing experiences as part of its residential, Catholic setting. In 2018, Loras was the highest ranked Catholic college in the state of Iowa according to College Consensus, the 13th Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report and one of America’s Top 200 Most Loved Colleges/Universities by Forbes Magazine. Loras students ranked No. 2 in the world as part of the global Peeptrade Investment Challenge while a second group ranked No. 4. For the 10th consecutive year, Loras Media Studies student-led television station (LCTV) was named the TV Station of the Year by the Iowa College Media Association (ICMA).
