NEW ORLEANS ( Sept. 8, 2017) – Dillard University rose 29 spots in school rankings by Washington Monthly this year, becoming No. 49 of 240 U.S. liberal arts institutions and No. 29 of 50 schools as “Best Bang for the Buck in the South” in data published in the latest issue of the publication.

The only HBCU that was higher in both categories was Tougaloo College in Mississippi, which was No. 44 for liberal arts institutions and No. 7 for “best bang.”

In his Sept. 1 “Bleu Notes,” Dr. Walter Kimbrough, university president, commented, “This is the fairest rankings that exist, and we always do well.” He noted DU made the top 20 percent.

The Washington Monthly has been releasing annual College rankings since 2005, according to the website,” billing it as its answer to U.S News & World Report rankings, which it said relies on “crude and easily manipulated measures of wealth, exclusivity and prestige to evaluate schools.”

The “Best Bang for the Buck” category list schools that help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices, the publication said.

Other HBCUs ranked as best liberal arts institutions were Spelman, No. 64; Fisk, 77; Claflin, 201; Bethune-Cookman, 201; and Morehouse, 202.  Xavier was listed in the National Universities-Masters category as No. 185 of 632, within the top 30 percent and No. 4 for HBCUs.

The Washington Monthly website said schools are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories:

• Social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students)
• Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and doctorates)
• Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country)

The report said 75 percent of students at DU receive Pell grants; 42 percent of students are first-generation college attendees, and the net price of attending for families with income below $75,000 is $16,126. Its ranking for social mobility was 53; research, 19; bachelor’s to doctorate was 117; service, 201. The predicted median income for graduates was $30,821. Predicted loan repayment rank was 31.

The Top 5 national universities were Stanford University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University-College Station and Georgetown University.

To see the full report, visit the publication website (http://wmf.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/2017/WM_2017_Embargoed_Rankings.pdf)