Grove City College is number 2 'Smartest Choice' school

​Grove City College is second on College Raptor’s list of 2016 Smartest Choice schools, an exclusive ranking of 43 elite national colleges and universities where students are most likely to get accepted, stay enrolled and graduate in four years.

Smartest Choice schools represent the nation’s top schools in the measures that matter most, according to the college planning website. 

“The Smart Choice award represents a different kind of college ranking,” said Tyler Hakes, director of Marketing at College Raptor. “What really matters is student access and student success. These schools represent smart choices for students because they’re institutions where students are most likely to get accepted, stay enrolled and ultimately graduate within four years.”

College Raptor looked at colleges around the country that are serving students best and are also accessible to a wider range of students. Smart Choice colleges meet or exceed acceptance, freshman retention and four-year graduation benchmarks determined by the website. 

While the website highlighted favorable acceptance rates, it placed a far heavier weight on freshman retention rates, which indicate student satisfaction with their college choice. Grove City College’s 92 percent retention rate far exceeded the website’s criteria, as did its 81 percent acceptance rate and 79 percent four-year graduation rate.

“Once again, Grove City College has been recognized as one of America’s best colleges. This ranking, along with national recognition by Princeton Review, U.S. News and many others, makes it clear that Grove City College is on par with other elite private liberal arts and sciences colleges and far surpasses many schools when it comes to educational quality, value and community,” Jacki Muller, senior director of Marketing & Communications, said.