Awards and Rankings
President
September 2, 2015
For the 21st consecutive year, University of Portland has received a top-ten ranking by U.S. News & World Report, which today released its "2016 America's Best Colleges" publication. The University is ranked 7th out of 118 institutions listed in the "Regional Universities – West" classification. The full rankings can be seen on U.S. News & World Report's website ."I am proud that we continue to be recognized among our peer institutions for the superb education we provide our students," said University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman C.S.C. "Though these rankings are just one indicator of excellence, they help showcase the success of our core mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership."
The "Regional Universities" category includes institutions that offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs. U.S. News' methodology for this category includes peer assessment, student retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources earmarked for educational purposes, and alumni giving rate.
Additionally, University of Portland ranked 12th out of 118 western regional universities in "Best Value Schools," a listing of schools that offer the best value as determined by a formula that relates a school's academic quality to the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of financial aid. The Shiley School of Engineering ranked 46th nationwide among schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's. The University of Portland also ranked 7th in the western region for "best colleges for veterans."
In August, the University welcomed 945 first-year students, the Class of 2019, which is the second largest and among the most diverse and academically gifted classes in school history.
Continuing a trend over the past decade, the University saw an increase in the number of students applying for admission with 11,198 completed applications – a new school record – topping last year's record of 11,079.
The UP Class of 2019 is also highly academically accomplished, with an approximate average SAT score of 1197 and average high school GPA of 3.66.
The Class of 2019 is diverse in geography, with 76 percent of the class coming from out of state. More than half of the class hails from the Pacific Northwest, as well as 25 percent from California and 8 percent from Hawaii. It is also ethnically diverse, with 36 percent of the class identifying as minority.
University of Portland today
The Class of 2019 is the second under the leadership of Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., who began his tenure as University of Portland's 20th president in July 2014.
The University's commitment to providing an excellent education experience was highlighted in 2014 with the conclusion of a fund-raising campaign that raised nearly $182 million, making it one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university.
The Class of 2019 is taking advantage of small class settings (14:1 student-faculty ratio), award-winning faculty and ten new or renovated campus facilities, including the new Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center. Other new and renovated facilities include a completely renovated Clark Library (completed in August 2013), a state-of-the-art engineering hall (Shiley Hall, dedicated in 2009), two new dormitories (Fields and Schoenfeldt Halls, dedicated in 2009), a remodeled and vastly expanded dining facility (Bauccio Commons, dedicated in 2010), a new bell tower (dedicated in 2009), a renovated science building (Romanaggi Hall, dedicated in 2010), an expanded and renovated multipurpose athletic facility (Chiles Center, dedicated in 2012), and an upgraded Joe Etzel Field (dedicated in 2015).
The University has also begun construction of a new residence hall with room for approximately 270 students and to be located on the UP campus adjacent to the newly constructed Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center. The University aims to complete the project prior to the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Also, renovations on a redesigned Pilot House will be completed this fall.
In addition to campus improvements, the University has increased scholarships, endowed chairs and professorships, faculty research opportunities, and campus ministry, and established the established the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics, which includes the Character Project and the Dundon-Berchtold Fellowships for students and faculty to explore ethics-related issues.
The University of Portland's commitment to its mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership has been successfully proved through its graduates – the University has been a national leader among peer institutions for the number of alumni earning Fulbright scholarships for several consecutive years (Chronicle of Higher Education).
For the fifth consecutive year, University of Portland was the top Oregon school in Kiplinger's Personal Finance annual ranking of best values in private colleges and universities. University of Portland was also ranked 65th nationwide among all private colleges and universities.
For two consecutive years, Bloomberg Businessweek named University of Portland the top school in Oregon for "return on investment." In a state-by-state ranking of schools providing graduates with the most return for the price of their education, University of Portland came out on top among all colleges and universities in Oregon.
University of Portland is Oregon's only comprehensive university with schools of business, education, engineering, nursing, a College of Arts and Sciences and a graduate school. The University offers a rich resource for the community through educational opportunities, research, experts, in addition to a host of community offerings such as athletic events, cultural events, speakers and lectures.
UP students and alumni are resources for research, internships and full-time employment. More than half of University of Portland's 37,000 alumni reside in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. To learn more about why University students and alumni make excellent employees, visit our Career Center.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
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