Allegheny College Recognized Among Top 5 in Pennsylvania in New Economic Mobility Rankings

Allegheny College ranked 5th among colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and in the top 20 percent nationally in new economic mobility rankings released by the nonprofit organization Third Way.

Third Way describes the rankings as a “completely different approach to assessing institutions of higher education,” prioritizing student outcomes and economic mobility. To create an Economic Mobility Index (EMI), Third Way examined which schools provide the best return on educational investment to students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds.

The EMI assesses the time it takes students to recoup their educational costs based on the earnings boost they obtain by attending an institution. In addition, it takes into account the proportion of low- and moderate-income students enrolled by a school.

“Allegheny College is proud to see the validation of the important work we are doing to make higher education accessible regardless of a student’s economic background,” said Ellen Johnson, vice president for enrollment management. “Our mission of preparing students for successful and meaningful lives is seen through this recognition.”

This recognition is just the latest to be bestowed on Allegheny for its commitment to innovation, value, and undergraduate teaching and research.

In September 2021, U.S. News & World Report once again named Allegheny one of the top 100 national liberal arts colleges in the country. Along with several other accolades, Allegheny was recognized as a Top 45 best value national liberal arts college, based on both academic quality and cost, and a Top 20 school with stellar examples of undergraduate research/creative projects among all colleges and universities in the U.S.

In August 2021, Washington Monthly ranked Allegheny No. 26 in the nation among liberal arts colleges. The rankings rate institutions of higher learning based on the degree to which they:

  • Recruit and graduate students of modest means
  • Produce the scholarship and scholars that drive economic growth and human flourishing
  • Encourage students to be active citizens and serve their country

Colleges That Change Lives, a leading national voice in the field of college choice, has featured Allegheny since 1996, highlighting the college’s focus on personalized, student-centered learning and undergraduate research opportunities.

The Princeton Review named Allegheny one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education in the 2021 publication of “The Best 386 Colleges.”

Allegheny earned the No. 56 spot nationally in the 2021 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings of the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. The rankings are based on student outcomes, including graduates’ salaries and debt; academic resources, including how much the college spends on teaching; and student engagement.

About Allegheny College
Allegheny College, founded in 1815, is one of the nation’s oldest and most innovative four-year colleges where multidisciplinary learning breaks the conventional mold. It is one of the few colleges in the United States with a unique requirement to choose both a major and minor for graduation, to provide students with a cross-disciplinary path in the sciences and humanities for educational depth and intellectual growth. Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny College is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives.” In its 2022 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny College in its Top 20 Schools for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects and the Top 25 Most Innovative National Liberal Arts Colleges.