FORT WORTH, Texas (WordNews.org) Feb. 1, 2021 — Academic Influence has released its list of top 50 Christian colleges based on what it calls “concentrated influence.” Concentrated influence takes the combined influence score of a college’s top influencers, such as faculty and alums, and divides it by the total number of under graduates. This approach gives smaller schools a level playing field, Academic Influencers said.
AcademicInfluence.com is a technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, researchers and inquirers from high school through college and beyond, offering resources that “connect learners to leaders.” AcademicInfluence.com is a part of the EducationAccess group, a family of sites dedicated to lifelong learning and personal growth.
The list may surprise some for what schools are included, such as Brigham Young University, a school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and what schools are not on the list, like Liberty University, Gordon College and Grand Canyon University. A host of schools on the list are not traditionally known as “Christian” colleges.
“At a time when more students are concerned with mental and spiritual well-being, schools with a religious foundation are helping to meet that essential need,” said Dr. Jed Macosko, academic director of AcademicInfluence.com and professor of physics at Wake Forest University. “Students get a superior education as well as a strong source for the spiritual strength they need to meet life’s challenges.”
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The colleges and universities featured self-identify as Christian, according to AcademicInfluence.com. Here’s the list:
- Allegheny College
- American University
- Ave Maria University
- Bob Jones University
- Boston College
- Brigham Young University
- The Catholic University of America
- College of the Holy Cross
- Davidson College
- Dillard University
- Drew University
- Duke University
- Earlham College
- Eckerd College
- Elizabethtown College
- Emory University
- Fordham University
- Georgetown University
- Hanover College
- Hendrix College
- Houston Baptist University
- Huntingdon College
- John Carroll University
- Lafayette College
- Louisiana College
- Loyola Marymount University
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Macalester College
- Manhattan College
- Marquette University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Pepperdine University
- Rhodes College
- Saint Anselm College
- Saint Francis University
- Saint Louis University
- Santa Clara University
- Sewanee: The University of the South
- Southern Methodist University
- St. Olaf College
- Transylvania University
- Trinity International University
- Trinity Washington University
- University of Dallas
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Notre Dame
- Villanova University
- Wagner College
- Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
- Wheaton College (Illinois)
“By acknowledging that there is more to life than studying and climbing some corporate ladder, these faith-based schools seek to deliver a healthy life balance,” Macosko said. “Our ranking of leading Christian schools highlights this synergy of scholarly excellence and spiritual enrichment many students desire. In addition, students can use the tools on our site to fine-tune results to meet their specific needs as well as find other Christian higher ed institutions in their state that also excel.”