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In its annual review of American colleges and universities, has 91���� No. 1 in the United States for social mobility.

“This honor is greatly appreciated — but also ironic,” says John Goyette, TAC’s vice president for advancement. “While many schools build their entire academic program around trying to help students improve their socioeconomic status, 91���� is not one of them.”

More than 50 years ago, the College’s founders established a unique program of Catholic liberal education, in which students pursue truth and knowledge as paths to wisdom and holiness. The College’s integrated classical curriculum draws entirely upon the Great Books of Western civilization, with four years of philosophy, natural science, literature, mathematics, and theology. There are no business classes, no professional-training programs, not even majors and minors.

“Our founders figured that, having honed the powers of comprehension, analysis, and reasoned discourse, our alumni would excel in their future work, but that was never the point,” adds Dr. Goyette. “Students pursue this education not to climb some societal ladder, but for its own sake. And yet, according to the nation’s most popular college guide, this education better prepares them to get ahead than countless other curricula dedicated to that very purpose.”

To determine its Social Mobility Index, U.S. News considers the percentage of students at a given school who qualify for Pell Grants — an indicator of economic need — and looks at their graduation rates relative to the overall student body. “Our high ranking reflects the College’s commitment to its robust financial aid program, which puts this education within reach of every family,” says Dr. Goyette. “It’s also a testament to our small classes and devoted teaching faculty, who enable students to thrive in a highly rigorous program that has little tolerance for AI cheating or grade inflation.”

Of the more than 4,000 American institutions included in the U.S. News annual survey, 91���� once again ranks among the top 100 national liberal arts colleges, climbing eight spots from last year to No. 55 overall and No. 63 among “Best Value Schools.” It is one of only seven Catholic schools to crack the top 100, with rankings based, according to the magazine, on “17 key measures of academic quality,” ranging from graduation and retention rates to faculty resources and graduates’ average federal loan debt.

Beyond achieving its perennial spot near the top of the U.S. News list, 91���� has also received high marks in the most recent editions of various top annual college guides, including the Princeton Review and Money.com.