2022-23 Best Colleges Report: Mount Mary University continues to lead Midwest in diversity and social mobility

MILWAUKEE, WI (September 12, 2022) – Mount Mary continues to be rated among the most successful institutions in the Midwest in graduating diverse and low-income students, and in providing value for all students regardless of their background, according to the Best Colleges Report by U.S. News and World Report released today.

“We are the institution of choice for educating ethnically and economically diverse women,” said Mount Mary President Isabelle Cherney, Ph.D. “Diversity and social mobility are our strengths.”

#1 SOCIAL MOBILITY: Mount Mary is ranked #1 in Wisconsin and #2 in the Midwest among regional universities in this category, which measures the success rate of graduating Pell students based upon six-year graduation rates.

ETHNIC DIVERSITY: Mount Mary is among the top-performing regional institutions in the Midwest for ethnic diversity.

ECONOMIC DIVERSITY: With 65% of students receiving Pell grants, Mount Mary is recognized as one of the top performers in the Midwest among regional universities. The report states: “U.S. News believes that Pell figures are the best available gauge of institutions’ relative commitment to access for all.”

#4 BEST VALUE: Affordability is measured by four indicators, the ratio of quality to price; the amount of need-based aid, the percent of need-based aid recipients awarded scholarships or grants; and the average discount. Mount Mary is among the top four in Wisconsin in this category and #25 among regional universities in the Midwest.

#7 BEST SCHOOLS: Mount Mary’s ranking is #58 overall among regional universities in the Midwest and is ranked seventh among the 16 Wisconsin schools in this category.

Mount Mary’s rankings are consistent with rankings for the past few years, said Mount Mary Institutional Researcher Leah Adams-Curtis.

“It is perhaps most noteworthy that the numbers are just now beginning to reflect a student population whose high school education was affected by the pandemic,” she said.

The lingering effects of the pandemic on student demographics and outcomes cannot be measured yet. Furthermore, it will be difficult to predict when the effects of COVID will come to an end.

“I think we need to wait at least two years before we can look back retrospectively and see where we are with regard to a post-COVID environment,” Adams-Curtis said. “We won’t know until we can look back.”

Fall 2022 Undergraduate Profile 

66% identify as a person of color
This number has been rising since 2017, when the figure was 51%

35% identify as Hispanic
Mount Mary became a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Spring 2020

65% are Pell eligible

45% are first generation to college

Source: MMU Department of Institutional Research
Full-time undergraduates, fall 2022
For students with a valid FAFSA on file 

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.