Providence, R.I.--At the recent Fall Faculty and Staff Meeting, President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. '80 announced that Providence College is becoming increasingly national in stature, particularly in its student recruitment and enrollment efforts.

Office of Admission figures show that the percentage of Class of 2012 students who reside in "national market" states--those outside of the New England and Mid-Atlantic states--rose from 6.7% in academic year 2007-08 to 8.6% this academic year.

Furthermore, the percentage of students from New England states in the Class of 2012 that enrolled in September is the smallest in College history. This year's rate of 60.9% is nearly 5% lower than last year's incoming class rate.

"We are getting more national in our applicant pool," said Father Shanley, who noted the College also made significant gains in enrolling first-year students from the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West regions this academic year. He added that discussions with parents and other anecdotal experiences have fortified his belief that "we have a reputation for being a hot school."

That reputation has been underscored by exceptional rankings recently in three nationally prominent magazines.

The College placed 27th among the top 50 schools in Kiplinger's "Best Values" rankings and was rated 3rd among 179 colleges and universities in the North Region's "Best Universities/Master's" category in the 2009 America's Best Colleges guide ranking published by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, PC placed 212th of the top 569 schools in Forbes' "Best Colleges" ratings.

In the Kiplinger's ranking, PC's 27th-place standing among the top 50 schools chosen was second only to Boston College (21st) among competitor schools. Villanova (32nd) was the only other competitor school to place in the top 50. The other competitor cohorts are Fairfield, Holy Cross, Loyola of Maryland, and Stonehill.

Kiplinger's rankings measure four academic quality factors and six affordability-related factors, including SAT and ACT scores, student/faculty ratio, total cost, and cost after need-based aid.  

The 3rd-place ranking by U.S. News & World Report represented the 13th consecutive year that PC has placed among the top three institutions in the North Region. The category recognizes schools that carry a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs.

The U.S. News ranking weighs multiple factors including average acceptance rate, average high school GPA, overall cost, average financial aid offered, and student/faculty ratio. 

In the Forbes ranking of the top 569 schools nationally, only Boston College (32nd) and Holy Cross (79th) placed above PC among competitor schools. Forbes' rankings are based on several criteria related to the quality of education provided and to the extent of student achievement.

--30--