KeyFacts
Founded: 1853
Type of Institution: Coeducational, private, comprehensive university in Suburban Philadelphia
Enrollment: Over 3,000 undergraduates, including 1,400 full-time, more than 400 part-time undergraduates and more than 1,200 grad students
Faculty: 306 faculty members. Eighty-five percent of full-time assistant, associate, and full professors hold doctorate or terminal degrees.
Student/Faculty Ratio: 12: 1
Degrees Offered: B.A., B.F.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., and doctoral degrees in more than 40 majors.
Study Abroad: Students can study abroad in Australia, England, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, or Wales.
Residence Halls: Seven residence halls house more than 950 students and offer a variety of housing options.
Arcadia University ranks among top-tier schools in current U.S. News & World Report rankings.
The university is first in alumni giving, second in the nation for study abroad, and 26th in the northern region.
For the fifth consecutive year, Arcadia University has been ranked in the top tier among regional universities in the North by U.S. News & World Report, gaining the 26th spot in the
rankings released on the magazine's Web site. The category includes more than 150 schools in the northern region of the United States.
"It's always an honor to be named among the elite," says Dennis Nostrand, vice president for enrollment management. "We know that Arcadia University is one of the top schools in the region,
and it's rewarding to be recognized by a prestigious publication like U.S. News."
The magazine also ranked Arcadia as the second-best school in the nation for its emphasis on study abroad, ahead of prestigious schools such as Duke, Penn, and Stanford. Last year, 35 percent
of the graduating class spent a semester or more studying abroad, and the university offers its freshmen a chance to spend spring break in London or Scotland to help them recognize the value of
international education.
The Center for Education Abroad is one of the largest campus-based international study programs in the United States, serving 2,000 students from nearly 300 American colleges and universities
each year.
"This is an opinion poll from campus leaders about who we are, and it is terrific to get this kind of recognition from others in higher education," said Dr. David Larsen, vice president and
director of Arcadia's Center for Education Abroad. "We are one of the oldest and largest study abroad programs in the nation, and it is nice to be recognized as one of the best."
"I'm glad to see that U.S. News & World Report is highlighting those programs that give students meaningful educational opportunities such as study abroad," says Dennis. "It is a credit to
the university's vision of supplying study abroad opportunities since 1948."
In addition, Arcadia, ranked first in alumni giving and is the only school in the northern region to achieve an alumni giving rate of 40 percent, an indication of the pride that alumni feel in
the institution. The university raised a record $5.18 million in 2001-02.
"We're very blessed to have warm and loyal support from our alumni," says Jay Vogel, vice president for institutional advancement. "The 40 percent participation is another area where Arcadia
can be recognized as a national leader. Also, we believe that this high level of alumni support is a reflection of their vote of confidence of where the university currently is and where it is
headed."
