The survey considers 165 colleges and universities from Maryland to Maine in determining where schools rank in this category.

Fairfield has stayed mear the top for of the rankings for the last 14 years.

Earlier this week, Fairfield University was also included in The Princeton Review’s The Best 357 Colleges 2005 Rankings. Fairfield is also the only Connecticut school among 77 nationwide to make another Princeton Review publication, 2005 Edition of America’s Best Value Colleges. The Best Value edition made note of Fairfield’s significant financial aid program and said the university has a “tremendous array of first-rate academic resources and schedules more extracurricular programs, speakers and events than you can ever shake a stick at.”

The Rev Jeffrey von Arx, SJ, who began his tenure as the school’s eighth president this past July, said he was pleased but not surprised by the university’s solid rankings.

“As a member of the Board of Trustees, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the quality education Fairfield University provides its students,” he said. “We have a dedicated and highly credentialed faculty, along with first-rate students, so I am confident we have a very solid base on which to build.”

Judith Dobai, associate vice president for enrollment management, said the guides are helpful and should be accompanied by campus visits when possible. “I am delighted to see that Fairfield has again been recognized as an outstanding institution,” she said. “We know these guides are useful tools for students and families in deciphering the college selection process. However, there are important qualities in education that can be difficult to measure, and that’s where a campus visit can make a big difference.”