KeyFacts
Founded: 1853
Type of Institution: Coeducational, private, comprehensive university in suburban Philadelphia
Enrollment: Over 3,000 students, including 1,400 full-time undergraduates, more than 400 part-time undergraduates and more than 1,200 graduate students
Faculty: 306 faculty members. Eighty-five percent of full-time assistant, associate, and full professors hold doctoral 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 U.S. News & World Report Rankings—University Is 21st in Northern Region While Earning Kudos for Study Abroad
For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has placed Arcadia University in the top tier among regional universities in the north, moving the university up to the 21st 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, Arcadia's 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 one of the best schools in the nation for its emphasis on study abroad, with prestigious schools such as Duke, Georgetown, New York University, Penn, and Syracuse. Last year, 35 percent of the graduating class spent a semester or more studying abroad; the university offers its freshmen a chance to spend spring break in London or Scotland to help them recognize the value of international education. In addition, 62 freshmen took advantage of a new study abroad program, allowing them to fulfill Arcadia's first-semester requirements in London. The Center for Education Abroad is one of the largest campus-based international study programs in the United States and serves an additional 2,000 students each year from nearly 300 American colleges and universities.
"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," says 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 Nostrand. "It is a credit to the university, which has been supplying study abroad opportunities since 1948."
Also, Arcadia is one of the top schools in the northern region in alumni giving, with 39 percent of graduates giving to the institution. All of the rankings can be found on the U.S. News & World Report Web site at or in the magazine sold on newsstands.
