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Elmira College Named a Best College in America by Money

Elmira, NY (09/10/2020) — Elmira College was recently named to Money's annual list of "Best Colleges in America for Your Money."

Money's rankings only include U.S. colleges that have sufficient reliable data to analyze, and in order to make the list, a college's graduation rate must be at or above the median for its institutional category (public, private or HBCU). Alternatively, each college must fall within the top 25% of Money's "value-added" graduation analysis, meaning the graduation rate needs to be higher than would be expected for colleges whose students have similar test scores and socioeconomic backgrounds. Money also eliminated institutions that showed at least two signs of financial difficulty, such as having low bond ratings or being labeled by the U.S. Department of Education as having financial issues.

"Elmira College is facing the same challenges that many of our peer institutions are facing," said Dr. Charles Lindsay, president of Elmira College. "Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, it was clear that the College needed to renew itself and restructure in order to adapt to the changing higher education landscape. The College started work on a plan in late 2019, and we continue to move forward with that plan for future growth."

After meeting the above criteria, colleges are then ranked based on 27 factors in the following three categories: quality, affordability, and outcomes. This year, Money changed their rankings formula to put more emphasis on affordability. Instead of balancing the three buckets evenly -- as has been done in the past -- Money increased the weight given to the affordability metrics to 40%. The quality and outcomes buckets were each decreased slightly to 30% of the formula. Money's full methodology is available on their website.

"At a time when affordability is a primary concern for students and their families, we are proud to be included in Money's list of Best Colleges in America," said Lindsay. "Elmira College has one of the lowest undergraduate tuition prices of any four-year private college or university in the region, making the College accessible to a broad spectrum of students and families. This affordability combines with an EC education that merges liberal arts education with professional programs, balancing the emotional with the practical and equipping students with the tools and skills to succeed in the professional world."

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Elmira College was recently named to Money's annual list of "Best Colleges in America for Your Money."

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