Why Rank Christian Colleges?
While institutional rankings for higher education abound, they are filled with controversy. There are complaints about every methodology and many of them are justified. The idea that we can reduce a college's worth to a raw numerical score is absurd on many levels. So, why would Faith on View want to step into this? Why rank Christian colleges?
It started as a personal interest. I worked for several years at a Christian college that was not healthy. Looking at the drop in the school's US News rankings was a helpful way for those who were concerned about the college to quantify their concern. However, as I watched college rankings over the years I noticed that it was often difficult to compare rankings across different categories. There was really no way to compare the quality of a national university to that of a regional liberal arts college or compare regional schools that are in adjoining states yet considered to be in different regions. Out of curiosity, I looked online to see if there was a ranking of Christian colleges. The only site I came across was one put together by the PR department of a college that simply pulled CCCU schools out from the Forbes rankings. There was nothing independent and nothing exhaustive. Further, many Christian schools are small and a good number of them are not ranked in US News.
Rondall Reynoso
My idea was to provide a comprehensive ranking of Christian colleges. I didn’t realize until I began putting the rankings together just how many students are served by Christian colleges. The initial Faith on View Rankings rank 201 colleges serving well over 500,000 students. Further, over the last several decades Christian colleges have grown at a faster rate than secular schools as more families are interested in educations which are specifically and intentionally religious.
I spend my life in the world of religious higher education. Until my Ph.D. program, all my own education was secular, but I have now taught at three evangelical institutions and have many friends and contacts across the Christian higher education world. There are, though, very few resources to help families make sound financial and educational choices for their students. These rankings aim to be a crucial tool for families.
When my eldest son was selecting potential colleges there were limited resources. We were fortunate that because of my profession, I had the ability to guide him and help make an informed choice. But, I would have loved to have had a resource such as the Faith on View rankings upon which to call. For that reason, the rankings continue to expand and improve as a more practical resource.
Faith on View will strives to be an increasingly comprehensive resource for families as we will slowly be adding individual profile pages for each institution providing families an in-depth look into them and providing invaluable information.
These rankings are a labor of love. But, they are a labor. Each new edition of the rankings represent several months of research. For that reason, I ask that if you find these rankings helpful and if you are able, please consider donating to support this project.
In Christ,
Rondall Reynoso
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