Posted by Adrian Appleman
Skidmore College jumped six spots in the 2013 rankings of U.S. News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges, published on Sept. 12, 2012. Skidmore moved from 49th to 43rd, two spots below Connecticut College and Union College, which both occupy the 41st spot, and five positions below Trinity College, which takes 38th on the list.
U.S. News uses a methodology that assigns each college a composite score based on factors which include graduation and retention rates, resources, selectivity and alumni giving. On Skidmore's page, U.S. News calls attention to the small size of the student body as well as the wide array of resources that are provided for the students, such as Northwoods, which serves as an outdoor classroom, and the First-Year Experience, which eases the transition into college academics.
The report also notes a general happiness felt by students of the College. "The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 94.2 %," the report states.
Skidmore was also listed in Newsweek magazine as one of the "25 Happiest Colleges," placing higher than distinguished institutions such as Cornell University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Wesleyan University and Tufts University.
For a full list of the 2013 rankings, please visit the U.S. News & World Report's website.