George Fox University again earns ‘Best National Universities’ recognition from 'U.S. News & World Report'

September 15, 2020

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The Newberg, Oregon, institution improves 19 places from its ranking a year ago while also earning recognition for its teaching and engineering programs

NEWBERG, Ore. – For a 33rd year – and the second straight in the “Best National Universities” category – George Fox University earned recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 “Best Colleges” issue, released Sept. 14.

The Newberg, Ore.-based university ranked No. 227 overall – a 19-place improvement over its 2020-21 ranking – in the first tier of the “Best National Universities,” a grouping that includes renowned institutions such as Princeton (No. 1), Harvard (No. 2), Columbia University (No. 3) and Stanford (No. 6). Colleges in the category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, while also producing groundbreaking research.

The rankings – including the component information on each college’s score – are available online at usnews.com.

In addition to its overall ranking, George Fox landed on the magazine’s “Best Undergraduate Teaching” list, rated No. 61 nationally – good for a tie with 13 others, including Columbia University and Cornell University. In a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans, conducted in the spring and summer of 2020, the schools on the teaching list received the most votes for having an especially strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.

In terms of specific academic programs, George Fox was again listed in the “Best Undergraduate Engineering Program” rankings, consisting of schools that offer an engineering major (bachelor’s or master’s degree) accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. George Fox ranked No. 60 out of 220 schools – a 15-place improvement in the same category from a year ago.

Finally, the university was recognized in the magazine’s “Top Performers on Social Mobility” list – those institutions that are successful at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students with Pell Grants. The vast majority of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.

The rankings news comes in a year George Fox saw its third-highest total enrollment (4,108) in school history – a notable achievement in light of uncertainty surrounding higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

George Fox University is ranked by Forbes among the top Christian universities in the country and is a Christian college classified by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best National University.” More than 4,000 students attend classes on the university’s campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem and Redmond, Ore. George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, seven seminary degrees, and 13 master’s and doctoral degrees.

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Contact:
Rob Felton
George Fox University
503-554-2129