UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS REMAINS AMONG TOP INSTITUTIONS FOR 2004 IN LATEST EDITION OF THE FISKE GUIDE TO COLLEGES

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas was recently ranked among almost 300 North American institutions in the 2004 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Most notably, for the third consecutive year, the University received a grade of three out of five possible stars for its academic quality on campus.

While the University remains the only public institution ranked from the Natural State, Hendrix College, a private school located in Conway, also received accolades from the guidebook.

"We’re very proud of the University of Arkansas’ position in this annual publication," Interim Vice Chancellor for University Relations Judy Schwab said. "Clearly, the strong academic ranking shows the dedication and commitment to excellence that permeate our academic community. Also, Fiske relies heavily on student feedback when compiling their guide, so it is encouraging to see our students’ feedback and know they are pleased with the direction the University is going."

Initiated by former education editor for The New York Times Edward B. Fiske in 1982, the guide was the first of its kind, ranking colleges and universities through various scoring systems. Now, two decades later, The Fiske Guide to Colleges has become an invaluable reference tool for high school graduates weighing their options for higher education.

Among the information provided within the guide, student enrollment, median SAT/ACT scores and a university’s strongest programs are listed. However, the overall ranking system is broken into three sub-categories: academics, social life and quality of life. While the University of Arkansas received three stars for its academic quality, it also received three marks for its overall quality of life and four marks for its social life.

The following chart ranks the U of A against its fellow SEC member institutions and five other peer institutions:

"To receive three stars in academic quality for three years running shows that people are taking notice of the outstanding commitment to scholarship at the University and the quality of students we’re attracting," Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Bob Smith said. "It’s also encouraging to see us ranked well among several of our member institutions within the Southeastern Conference. However, we must remain committed to raising the bar for continued excellence on all fronts in order to reach the "four-star" tier with the likes of Vanderbilt, the University of Kansas and the University of Texas."

Of the 297 institutions ranked for academic quality, the 132 three-star colleges and universities make up 44 percent of The Fiske Guide to Colleges. The 67 five-star recipients account for 23 percent of the guide, and the 88 four-star schools make up 30 percent. Only 10 institutions, or the remaining three percent, received two stars for their academic ranking, and no schools received one star.