Why Rank Christian Colleges?
While institutional rankings for higher education abound, they are often filled with controversy. Many justifiable complaints exist about every methodology. The idea that we can reduce a college's worth to a raw numerical score seems absurd on many levels. So, why would Faith on View want to step into this? Why rank Christian colleges?
For several years I worked at a Christian college that was not healthy. Looking at that school’s drop in the US News rankings was a helpful way for those concerned about the college to quantify their concern. I enjoy numbers and statistics, but as I followed college rankings over the years, I noticed that it was often difficult to compare colleges outside a ranking’s pre-determined categories.
There was no way to directly compare the quality of a national university to that of a regional liberal arts college or to compare regional schools in adjoining states yet considered to be in different regions according to a ranking. Out of curiosity, I looked online to see if there was a ranking of Christian colleges. The only site I came across was 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 very small and not even ranked in US News.
Rondall Reynoso
I sought to address that gap. 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 Ranking ranked 191 colleges serving well over 500,000 students. The current iteration ranks 323 institutions serving over 1.1 million students. Over the last several decades Christian colleges have grown at a faster rate than secular schools as more families are interested in intentionally religious education.
Until my Ph.D. program, the entirety of my education was secular, but the rest of my life has been spent in the world of religious higher education. I have taught at three evangelical institutions and have many friends and contacts throughout the Christian higher education world. There are few resources to assist families and students make sound financial and educational decisions. These rankings aim to be that crucial tool for families.
When my eldest son was considering potential colleges there were limited resources available. I would have loved a resource such as the Faith on View rankings to provide insights. Fortunately, due to my profession, I had the ability to guide and help him make an informed choice, but many students do not have that option.
Understanding the need for such a practical resource propels me to expand and improve the rankings. Faith on View strives to offer an increasingly comprehensive resource by expanding and providing invaluable information on the individual profile pages for each institution in our rankings.
These rankings are a labor of love. But they are a lot of work. Each new update to the rankings represents several months of research. For that reason, I ask if you find the rankings helpful, and are able, please donate to support this project.
In Christ,
Rondall Reynoso
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