Winona State University, Saint Mary's University get top rankings in recent publications
Sep. 16—WINONA — Winona State University and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona both received high rankings in recent publications that rank colleges.
WSU received a "Best of the West" designation for the 18th consecutive year by the Princeton Review in its 2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region, the university said.
Saint Mary's ranked No. 3 in the "Best Value" category among all regional universities in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2022 ratings. Saint Mary's also was ranked No. 1 among all Minnesota universities in the Best Value category.
The Princeton Review evaluated 655 colleges nationwide that they consider "academically outstanding and well worth consideration" for its 2022 report. WSU shares the "Best Midwestern" designation with 158 institutions of higher education.
The review also factored student surveys into their evaluation, which allowed Winona State students to share their experience at the university. Some of the comments by students touched on the school's affordability, smaller class sizes, availability of professors and ability to prepare students for the workplace.
"All seem to be like a family here at Winona and can come together as our own little community," one student said.
The Best Value calculation that SMU scored high in takes into account the school's academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.
"The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal," said U.S. News.
