The college spokesman calls the school “a gem.”
The University of Maine at Farmington has ranked as one of the best colleges in America for the seventh year in a row.
In the U.S. News and World Report’s 2004 college report released Thursday, UMF was the top public comprehensive college in the north. Last year it placed third.
For both public and private colleges in the region, UMF ranked 12th, six steps up from last year.
College spokesman Tom Donaghue called the list “satisfying.”
“It’s really good. It’s very flattering,” he said. “It’s a source of pride.”
To rank the more than 1,400 colleges used in the survey this year, U.S. News and World Report looked at retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, student selectivity and other issues. UMF scored well in every category, earning points for its small classes, high percentage of full-time faculty and low student-teacher ratio.
For the last seven years, UMF has bounced between first and third place on the list. Donaghue said the school doesn’t focus on improving its ranking from year to year.
“We just keep plugging along and doing what we do best,” he said.
Although recent studies have shown that Maine’s best and brightest are leaving the state, UMF officials said the ranking shows students don’t have to move away to find an affordable, high quality education.
“There’s a gem right here in Farmington,” Donaghue said.
Ramapo College of New Jersey, University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, and Lyndon State College in Vermont were named the top northern public schools behind UMF.
For liberal arts colleges, U.S. News and World Report ranked Williams College in Massachusetts No. 1, Amherst College in Massachusetts No. 2 and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania No. 3. Carleton College in Minnesota, Pomona College in California and Wellesley College in Massachusetts tied for fourth place.
In this category, Bowdoin College in Brunswick ranked 10th, down from seventh place last year. Colby College in Waterville tied for 17th, up from 18. Bates College in Lewiston came in 23rd, down from 22.
Bates also received special accolades for its undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities.
But Bates spokesman Bill Hiss said he was proud that Bates, Bowdoin and Colby all made the list, regardless of individual rank or honors.
“I think the real news here is that all three colleges in Maine have been in U.S. News’ top 25 for a decade,” he said.
Full rankings will be available online at www.usnews.com on Friday. Results will also be published in the U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” due out Monday.
UMF and Bates officials said they were pleased with their rank. But they warned prospective students and their parents not to judge colleges based solely on a ranking by a news magazine. Instead, they said, students should visit the colleges they’re interested in and talk with students who go there.
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