MRU makes the grade
2013 university rankings give Mount Royal an A-
Will Conner
Contributor
The report card is in and Mount Royal University earned a grade of A-, meaning we should probably take it out for ice cream to celebrate.
Maclean’s and the Globe and Mail have released their 2013 university rankings, assigning MRU an overall score of A-.
Both publications use different methodologies to compile their rankings, but use a blend of publicly available information and independent student response surveys.
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The Globe and Mail’s 2013 university ranking results are out, and MRU has fairly consistently maintained above average scores compared to other small-sized Canadian institutions. Illustration: Rachael Frey
MRU does well in the rankings overall, leading in areas such as class sizes, access to faculty, student services, infrastructure, technology, most satisfied student and the all-important student employability.
Not surprising to those at MRU, the institution falls short largely in transportation, off-campus housing and access to public transit, though those issues are largely out of the control of the university.
There are many ways to compare institutions against each other. Comparing Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick — the top ranked undergraduate school in Maclean’s — to MRU’s rankings in the Globe and Mail, Mount Royal stacked up right alongside Mount Allison. However, MRU didn’t make Maclean’s top ranking.
Compared to the University of Calgary, MRU ranked higher in every category except for better library hours and access to transit. However, with the Sunalta C-Train station and express buses opening soon, and the completion of MRU’s new transit hub at West Gate, even that may level out.
Globe and Mail rankings, however, are categorized by the size of the institution; in this regard, MRU and U of C would be in separate categories. Also, with the average MRU professor making 20 per cent less than professors at the U of C, according to Maclean’s, MRU may be a tough sell to attract top teaching talent.
Mount Royal University may be an A- minus institution, but the school has worked hard for its university accreditation and the ranking shows MRU isn’t struggling to play at the university level.