In September 2023, Andrews University released several national rankings across various categories, sparking a range of reactions among the student body. According to the U.S. News Best College Rankings, Andrews University achieved the #1 ranking for its diversity and was placed at #7 for having the highest number of international students. The U.S. News rankings employ the Carnegie Classification, the widely recognized standard for evaluating higher education institutions in the United States, which is also utilized by the U.S. Department of Education. Moreover, Andrews University earned the distinction of being the #1 top private university in Michigan and claimed the #14 among the best Christian Colleges in the nation, as per the 2024 Niche rankings. Niche compiles data from various public sources, including the Department of Education, U.S. Census, and FBI, and combines this information with over 100 million reviews and surveys to generate simplified rankings.
Here is the summary of the rankings:
#1 Top Private University in Michigan
#1 Top ranked national university for ethnic diversity
#1 Top Ranked college for students experience in Michigan
#7 Ranked seventh among national university for the number of international students
#14 Top fifteen among Best Christian Colleges in the Nation
When Andrews University unveiled their national rankings, it triggered a wide array of reactions across various social platforms. The responses ranged from enthusiastic approval to skeptical questioning of the rankings' accuracy. Reflecting on this development, I conducted a series of interviews with students throughout the campus during the past week. I asked the same question to these students: "How did you respond when you encountered the rankings?"
Alex Minani (sophomore, psychology)
“I’m really proud to see these rankings. Especially diversity. I mean, I can experience more than one culture on this campus, and that is so awesome. I’m a little skeptical on top #1 private college in Michigan, but #1 in Diversity – that I know it's true. Learning new culture, new food… they are all amazing. That is one reason I think Andrews is a good university. But #1 Student Experience? Hahaha… I don’t know what this exactly means. I mean Andrews definitely have experiences no other university can have, especially the chapels and the worship experience. I mean the worship experience is definitely the best here in Andrews.”
Zane Jones (senior, social work)
“I think the diversity ranking is really positive, for sure. However, the #1 Student experience in Michigan, that's interesting. I am not sure if Andrews has the best student experience? I don’t know. But I really would love to know more before I talk about these rankings. Like who are we comparing too, and what categories are we specifically comparing?”
Hans Bersabal (sophomore, aviation flight)
“So my first impression was like ‘really?’, and then I am like, ‘where did they get this from? I want to know.’ But if it is true, I think that's really cool, I guess. But otherwise, the rankings don't really change anything much for me. I’m here at Andrews, not because of the rankings, but because I came here.”
Joseph Burton (junior, theology)
“The value I see in Andrews has nothing to do with these rankings. The value I see in Andrews is that Andrews is a Seventh-day Adventist School. So Andrews has a unique mission that no other school has. Adventist school’s mission is to prepare youth to rebuild the character of God in a dying world shortly before Christ’s return. So the only value I see in Andrews is a school that fulfills that purpose, preparing youth to represent the kingdom of God, and to represent the character of God. And if this is not done, Andrews has lost all of its value to me. So these numbers mean nothing.”
Sangming Lee (senior, architecture)
“These rankings are really nice, I think. But I’m not so sure about the ranking on best student experience. I hear a lot of complaints from my friends. Especially, if you have stayed in the dorm, you know what I mean.”
Joshua Curameng (sophomore, nursing)
“Yeah, I saw this post one morning when I woke up, and I was like ‘Huh, that's interesting.’ I mean like most of the times, I just feel like its another day, and I’m going to school, and that's all. But I heard students saying that Andrews doesn’t have the best student experience. But personally, I think student experience really depends on your own decision. You have to be involved in the activities, and try to make the best out of the college experience. I mean if you don’t attend any activities, you will have bad student experience.”
Aaron Almocera (sophomore, nursing)
“First time I see this, I was like ‘are we actually top Private university?’ I mean I only attended Andrews university so I can’t compare to any other experience myself. But overall, I’m really proud of my college and I’m glad I can be here.”
Jhoana Mortera (senior, digital communication & marketing)
“I feel like the rankings are really accurate, to be honest. I am not in the position to say that Andrews is the best private university in Michigan, because I only attended Andrews, but as for diversity, I really feel like we have the top ranked campus with ethnic diversity in the nation. When I go to my class, there are students from all around the world with different perspectives. I don’t even have to travel outside of the country to experience different cultures, and foods from all over the world.”
Ashlee-Rose Wilson (senior, religion)
“I feel proud of Andrews for having the ranking. Of course, there are areas to grow, but the fact we are doing well means we have the knowledge and resources to exceed even more in the future.”
During the interviews, numerous students expressed skepticism regarding the credibility of the #1 Student Experience ranking from the Wall Street Journal. However, many students agreed with the diversity rankings. Overall, there were a variety of responses and, as always, Andrews University will do what it can to improve the Andrews Experience.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.