U.S. News Ranks Knox College in Top 10 for "Operating Efficiency"

Knox College is one of the top 10 colleges in the country for "operating efficiency," according to a new study by U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings, released in November, placed Knox seventh among the 25 best liberal arts colleges in the nation noted for "spending wisely to create a top-quality education."

"Every decision we make at Knox, from the content of our educational programs to the ways in which we allocate our resources, is driven by our commitment to our students," said Knox College President Teresa Amott, "We've all heard about schools spending more and more on fancy amenities and five-star luxuries, but this type of spending is not in Knox's nature."

U.S. News said the colleges in the operating efficiency ranking had "controlled spending while still keeping students enrolled through graduation, maintaining a high academic reputation for excellence and fostering an engaged alumni network."

"We feel an obligation to control our costs so that we can serve students of modest economic resources," Amott said. "We focus our spending on teaching and learning—the programs and services that truly matter to our mission."

The study by U.S. News reporters Robert Morse and Eric Brooks looked at how much schools spent per student on "educational quality... [including] instruction, public service, research, student services, institutional support and academic support." The study ignored spending for what it called "amenities," including cafeterias and residence halls. U.S. News said the top 25 colleges had "achieved high ranks relative to the amount of money they spent."

More rankings of Knox for educational quality and affordability:

• U.S. News & World Report ranks Knox #25 in the nation in its list of schools with top reputations for both academic excellence and affordability.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranks Knox #76 as a "Best College Value."
• Princeton Review included Knox in "Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck."
• The New York Times ranks Knox #16 in its 2017 College Access Index, which evaluates schools that are doing the most to promote academic success.
• Forbes Magazine ranked Knox among the top colleges and universities in its "Grateful Graduates Index," which measures the success of graduates and the support they give back to their college.

Published on December 14, 2017