(KIWA Staff Photo)Sioux Center, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — Dordt University has been named to Money magazine’s Best Colleges 2026 list, which evaluates four-year institutions on educational quality, affordability, and student outcomes.
According to a Dordt news release, the university is among more than 700 colleges evaluated nationwide using 25 metrics across those three categories.
The quality-of-education category considers graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratios, and outcomes for students receiving Pell Grants. Affordability factors include net price, student debt, and loan-repayment rates.
The outcomes category examines alumni earnings and employment data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
To qualify, colleges must meet minimum enrollment requirements, show financial stability, and maintain a graduation rate at or above the median for similar institutions. Schools can also qualify by demonstrating a high “value-added” graduation rate, meaning students graduate at higher-than-expected levels based on their economic and academic backgrounds.
Money uses a star-rating system to help prospective students compare colleges based on individual needs and budgets, emphasizing that there is no single “best” college for every student.
