Big Value (and Values) in the Bronx

7/24/2025

UMSV Named to 2025 Money Best Colleges Rankings

Not to brag, but we’ve got another accolade to share here at the University of Mount Saint Vincent:

We’re thrilled to announce that UMSV has been recognized as one of Money’s Best Colleges in America (again)!

Surprised? Nope. Honored? You know it!

“What a joy and a privilege it is to be recognized in the 2025 Money Best Colleges rankings,” remarked President Susan R. Burns, PhD. “Year after year, this distinction affirms the Mount’s deep-rooted mission of providing an academically rigorous, affordable, and values-centered education—one that opens doors for students of all backgrounds and prepares them for meaningful lives and careers. It is an honor to know that—in a world where an alarmingly increasing number of people are questioning the value of higher education—Mount Saint Vincent continues to stand out for the stellar and transformative education we provide.”

Money’s annual Best Colleges list showcases the country’s top value institutions, based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries, and more. To create their 2025 Best Colleges list, Money weighed dozens of data points related to quality, affordability, and student outcomes. Using a ‘star’ ratings system, they compiled a list of more than 700 four-year private and public colleges and universities—732 this year, to be exact!—that can help prospective students find a standout school that fits their needs.

The Mount’s star rating for 2025, you might be wondering?

A ’phintastic three and a half stars!

Once again, Money partnered with Witlytic to ensure proper data collection, but Money’s editorial staff is solely responsible for the final ratings decisions. There’s a pretty extensive methodology that goes into determining each rating. Money started with looking at all 2,400+ four-year public and private colleges and universities in the United States. From there, they narrowed the list down to those institutions that: have at least 500 undergraduate students or at least 150 freshmen; have sufficient, reliable data to be analyzed; are not in financial distress; and have a graduation rate that was at or above the median for its institutional category or have a high ‘value-added’ graduation rate.

From there, each school was ranked on 25 factors in three categories: quality of education (accounting for 30% of the final rating), affordability (accounting for 40% of the final rating), and outcomes (accounting for 30% of the final rating).

Quality of Education. The quality of education, accounting for 30% of the overall evaluation, is based on several key factors. These include graduation rates—both actual and value-added—which consider how well a college supports students beyond expectations based on their backgrounds; peer quality, measured by standardized test scores, GPAs, and yield rates; student-to-faculty ratios and instructor access; financial stability indicators; and the graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients. All of these factors reflect an institution’s commitment to serving low-income and high-needs students.

Affordability. Affordability, which makes up 40% of the overall evaluation, is determined by an additional set of key factors. The largest component is the net price of a degree, reflecting what a typical student will actually pay after grants and scholarships, adjusted for time to graduation. Affordability also considers net prices paid by students across income brackets, levels of student and parent debt, and students’ ability to repay that debt—measured by repayment progress and default risk. Lastly, value-added measures account for how well a college supports loan repayment, given the economic and academic backgrounds of its students.

Outcomes. Finally, outcomes, which account for 30% of the overall evaluation, focus on students’ post-college success—particularly their earnings and employment. This includes median earnings 10 years after college entry and employment metrics such as the share of alumni not working or enrolled in graduate school one year after graduation and those earning more than a high school graduate six years after starting. Additional factors include value-added earnings, which adjust for student demographics, earnings adjusted for a mix of majors, and an economic mobility index that evaluates how well a college promotes upward mobility for low- and moderate-income students.

Yes, we know that’s a lot of technical jargon. But, the summary: among the plethora of key factors used to measure a school’s success, UMSV has been rewarded for serving our students—and serving them well.

In their methodology, Money shared:

“We understand most readers are used to numerical rankings that order colleges, but we feel a rating system more accurately represents the variation in colleges’ performance. In a numbered ranking, very small differences in colleges’ scores result in different ranks, exaggerating the difference in performance. As experts have long advised, it’s more important to look broadly at where a college lands on a list and not its precise rank.”

While we agree with Money that perhaps there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ college or university, at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, we’re committed to showing you how we can be the right place—the ‘right place on the river’—for you to launch, finish, or even restart your educational journey, no matter where you find yourself on your degree completion path.

As an institution rooted in the Catholic and Vincentian/Setonian traditions, UMSV continues to stand out as a place where academic excellence meets social responsibility—empowering both students and graduates to become leaders in their fields and advocates for the common good.

“Unfortunately, today’s news does not offer much hope for the future of higher education,” shared Dr. Burns. “However, our ranking from Money affirms what we at the University of Mount Saint Vincent have long known: that access to a high-quality, affordable education is one of the most powerful drivers of economic and social mobility. Every single person at UMSV is committed to helping our learners move all ways forward on their unique and varied paths toward personal and professional success. This ranking matters. Our students matter. And higher education matters.”

Snaps for you, Dr. Burns!

Money hopes their ratings system will help students and their families find the right institution to invest in the benefits that only higher education can provide (*cough cough* at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, of course! *cough cough*). …we’re not biased at all!

But, all jokes aside, Mount Saint Vincent is extremely proud of its nearly-two-centuries-long, mission-driven commitment to transformative educational opportunities. We’re grateful that Money continues to recognize that—and we hope you will, too.

About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers a nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the University equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment, and leadership in the 21st century.