Parchment, the industry leader in academic credentials management, has announced the results of the 5th Annual Parchment Student Choice College Rankings study, which compares more than 700 colleges and universities using the choices of more than 86,400 first-year college bound students who navigated 154,00 admissions acceptances, nationwide. Parchment‘s college rankings are unique as the only study that reveals college preferences and enrollment decisions as reported from actual college-bound students.
Interesting results surface each year as student’s decisions change with various environmental factors. In the 2016 Parchment rankings, several liberal arts colleges were significantly higher choices, with Harvey Mudd College moving from 23 on last year’s list to third this year. Swarthmore College, Pomona College and Bowdoin College were ranked 11th, 12th and 13th respectively by students focused on a liberal arts education. Military institutions were also on the move, including the United States Military Academy jumping 10 spots.