The Fiske Guide To Colleges has listed the University of Mary Washington among the top colleges and universities in its recently released 2009 edition.
The University of Mary Washington is among 23 public colleges and universities, 49 public and private institutions overall, that have been designated as a “best buy,” delivering the best education at the most reasonable costs. The selective guidebook includes more than 300 colleges and universities from more than 2,200 four-year institutions surveyed in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. The listing was based on questionnaires sent to administrators and a cross-section of students.
Fiske praises the university as one of the premium liberal arts colleges in the country, with small classes and friendly, hard working students who forge close ties with faculty.
“Mary Washington could easily be mistaken for one of Virginia’s elite private colleges,” according to the Fiske Guide compiled for 25 years under the direction of Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of the New York Times. “It offers just as much history and tradition—for a much lower price.”
“Mary Washington is not just beautiful, but smart, too,” states the guidebook. “It has gained a reputation of one of the premium public liberal arts colleges in the country and continues to attract bright students from around the globe.”
The Princeton Review also has listed the University of Mary Washington in the recently published 2009 edition of “The Best 368 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are in the annual guide.
In recent years, the University of Mary Washington has seen its academic reputation gain national recognition in other selective guidebooks, including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges and Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.