Allegheny Places #1 as “Up-and-Comer” in U.S. News Rankings of Top Liberal Arts Colleges in Nation

Sept. 12, 2012 – Allegheny is one of only seven schools in its category recognized as an “Up-and-Comer” — and is tied with the University of Richmond for the No. 1 slot — in the U.S. News and World Report rankings released today. “Up-and-Comers” are identified by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans at their peer schools as having recently made, according to U.S. News, “the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.”

The U.S. News rankings again place Allegheny among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation. The college was also listed again this year as an “A+ School for B Students.”

“The number of accolades that Allegheny College has received this past summer is unprecedented and reflects an emerging national prominence for the college,” said Brian F. Dalton, vice president for enrollment and communications at Allegheny College. “Of course, rankings like these are just one aspect of the college search process, and we encourage prospective students to look at a broad spectrum of characteristics when choosing a college. We look for students who are a good fit to us, and we do everything we can to ensure the right fit is there.”

In addition to the U.S. News rankings, Allegheny has recently been included in a number of guidebooks and rankings that measure the quality of institutions based on a variety of measures. In August, Newsweek magazine named Allegheny College as one of the top 20 colleges nationwide for academic rigor and the Princeton Review included Allegheny in the 2013 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 377 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the Princeton Review guide.

Also in August, Washington Monthly’s “2012 College Rankings: What Can Colleges Do for the Country?” ranked Allegheny College No. 41 – 13 spots ahead of last year’s rankings – among liberal arts colleges in the nation based on contribution to the public good. The Sierra Club ranked Allegheny at No. 55 in a listing of the nation’s “greenest colleges.”

Allegheny College is also once again among the schools chosen for inclusion in “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges.” The new edition of Loren Pope’s highly influential guidebook—which has undergone 24 printings—has been revised and updated by Hilary Masell Oswald.

The 32nd oldest college in the country, Allegheny College will celebrate its bicentennial in 2015.