Valparaiso University Moves to Third in the Nation for Contribution to Public Good

Washington Monthly has named Valparaiso University the No. 3 master’s university in the country in this prestigious ranking. According to the magazine’s system, colleges are ranked by their contribution to the country, and it recognizes institutions that provide an outstanding education while maintaining affordability.

Criteria include cutting-edge research and scholarship, recruiting and graduating low-income students and commitment to service. The rankings include community service hours relative to school size, and at Valpo students annually perform more than 90,000 hours of community service. The ranking is also based upon the number of alumni who serve in the Peace Corps and ROTC.

Valpo students and alumni are highly regarded for deep commitment to making the world a better place, and the University is regularly recognized for service-learning experiences worldwide. Valpo’s Engineers Without Borders has traveled to Tanzania and Kenya to help the communities abroad. And, Valpo’s nursing students regularly travel to India, Thailand, Costa Rica and Nicaragua on service-learning trips.

Affordability is also a key component of the Washington Monthly ranking. The magazine also considers the number of Pell Grant recipients, graduation rates and financial assistance. Valpo annually awards more than $80 million in financial assistance to all students.

Valpo moved up one spot to No. 3 from last year’s ranking.