U.S. News & World Report ‘s Best Regional Universities rankings for 2021 places Mount St. Mary’s University third among Maryland’s 10 ranked public and private regional universities, and No. 38 of more than 175 institutions in the North region. The university moved up four places from 2020.

The university also earned spots on the U.S. News lists for Best Value Schools and Best Colleges for Veterans.

 “These rankings reflect the university’s No. 1 priority of student success as evidenced by our top-notch curricular and co-curricular programs,” said President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. “I am especially proud to see our advancement on the Best Colleges for Veterans list.”

The Best Regional University rankings are comprised of several factors, including average first-year student retention rate, class size, student selectivity, social mobility, student-to-faculty ratio, financial resources per student, graduate indebtedness, and retention and graduation rates. Additionally, it included a peer assessment score and weighed the institution’s average alumni giving rate.

Only 30% of North regional universities qualified as Best Value Colleges. The Mount remained at No. 23 on the list after moving up nine places between 2019 and 2020. The university supports students with strong financial aid packages and ensures that the tuition rate is competitive. More than 90% of students receive merit and/or need-based financial aid.

The Mount, which proudly enrolled 80 veterans in fiscal year 2019, was again recognized as a top 25 institution in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans rankings for the North region, placing 18th. The Mount ranked 23rd in 2020. These rankings are designed to “provide military veterans and active-duty service members with data on which top-ranked schools offer benefits that can help them make pursuing a college education more affordable,” according to U.S. News. Only one-third of the ranked universities in the North qualified for this list.

“Creating a place where we can serve those who served our country and put their lives at risk is especially important to me,” said Trainor, who formerly served as dean and chief academic officer at the United States Military Academy before retiring as a brigadier general after a 33-year career with the Army. “The responsibility and work ethic that our veterans demonstrate not only set a great example for their classmates, but help them succeed in their academic and civilian pursuits after their military service has concluded.”

In 2019, the Mount became part of the veterans’ work-study program, funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the program, a veteran work-study student, based in the registrar’s office, is available to guide prospective and current veteran students on how to use their GI Bill benefits, provide assistance finding veteran-specific scholarships or supply information about education benefits available for their families.