Schools Ranked by Full-Time to Part-Time Faculty Ratio

Using the full-time and part-time faculty figures from the College Navigator database, we calculated how many full-time faculty members each school had per part-time faculty member as of fall 2011. Accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, such as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE), acknowledge that a bigger number of full-time faculty members typically indicates a higher chance of high-quality instruction. In fact, the CIHE states that one of the factors it considers when evaluating a school is that the school “avoids undue dependence on part-time faculty, adjuncts, temporary appointments, and graduate assistants to conduct instruction.”

College Navigator did not have these figures for all of the colleges on our list. We did not, however, want to penalize those colleges without data. To that end, we simply excluded those schools from the rankings in this category.

Rank School FT to PT
Faculty Ratio		 Institution
Fin. Aid Rate		 Acceptance Rate Retention Rate Graduation Rate Accred.
Years		 Default
Rate		 Job Place. Rate  
100 Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health 4.00 to 1 79% 34% 92% 78% 23 4% N/A  
100 Traviss Career Center 4.00 to 1 21% N/A 30% 66% 34 N/A N/A  
103 Morehead State University 3.89 to 1 44% 89% 74% 36% 82 12% N/A  
104 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 3.87 to 1 57% 59% 84% 67% 99 4% N/A  
105 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3.86 to 1 6% 79% 80% 61% 96 4% N/A  
106 Valdosta State University 3.85 to 1 4% 58% 67% 43% 83 8% N/A  
107 Southwestern Oklahoma State University 3.82 to 1 57% 92% 57% 37% 90 17% N/A  
108 University of North Carolina at Greensboro 3.82 to 1 48% 65% 76% 53% 91 4% N/A  
109 University of California-Los Angeles 3.81 to 1 58% 26% 97% 90% 63 3% N/A  
110 Howard University 3.81 to 1 53% 54% 83% 63% 91 7% N/A  
111 Bob Jones University 3.71 to 1 53% N/A 78% 62% 6 4% N/A  
112 University of Wisconsin-Platteville 3.69 to 1 28% 96% 74% 52% 94 5% N/A  
113 University of Hawaii at Hilo 3.67 to 1 39% 71% 69% 36% 36 9% N/A  
114 Lesley University 3.63 to 1 94% 66% 76% 49% 60 4% N/A  
115 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences 3.63 to 1 19% 68% 69% 71% 17 3% N/A  
116 University of Arizona 3.56 to 1 71% 75% 77% 61% 95 6% N/A  
117 Sam Houston State University 3.54 to 1 16% 87% 73% 50% 87 11% N/A  
118 University of Southern Mississippi 3.51 to 1 58% 63% 72% 47% 83 11% N/A  
119 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 3.48 to 1 25% 48% 79% 40% 77 18% N/A  
120 Northern Illinois University 3.47 to 1 36% 53% 71% 56% 97 7% N/A  
121 Hampton University 3.39 to 1 28% 37% 67% 55% 80 13% N/A  
122 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 3.39 to 1 59% 47% 90% 70% 99 3% N/A  
123 Georgia College & State University 3.35 to 1 10% 70% 83% 55% 87 6% N/A  
124 University of Northern Iowa 3.32 to 1 59% 77% 82% 67% 99 4% N/A  
125 Oregon State University 3.30 to 1 56% 81% 81% 61% 88 4% N/A  
126 North Carolina A & T State University 3.28 to 1 51% 61% 74% 41% 76 14% N/A  
127 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus 3.25 to 1 75% 76% 72% 58% 96 7% N/A  
127 Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science 3.25 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 32 0% N/A  
129 Lamar University 3.23 to 1 13% 46% 65% 31% 57 15% N/A  
130 University of West Georgia 3.20 to 1 5% 55% 74% 39% 76 8% N/A  
131 Stephen F Austin State University 3.16 to 1 47% 63% 65% 44% 85 14% N/A  
132 Pittsburg State University 3.16 to 1 56% 77% 73% 50% 97 9% N/A  
133 University of Wisconsin-Madison 3.13 to 1 40% 66% 94% 82% 99 1% N/A  
134 Lake Region State College 3.10 to 1 54% N/A 54% 52% 38 8% N/A  
135 Methodist College of Nursing 3.00 to 1 9% 89% 100% N/A 4 13% N/A  
135 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 3.00 to 1 98% 57% 95% 76% 75 3% N/A  
137 Winston-Salem State University 2.97 to 1 33% 62% 80% 41% 65 12% N/A  
138 The University of Texas at Dallas 2.96 to 1 73% 53% 83% 61% 40 8% N/A  
139 Mansfield University of Pennsylvania 2.93 to 1 19% 77% 72% 53% 70 8% N/A  
140 West Virginia University 2.92 to 1 56% 87% 78% 57% 86 8% N/A  
141 Pennsylvania College of Technology 2.91 to 1 5% N/A 66% 47% 42 10% N/A  
142 Howard Payne University 2.83 to 1 99% 69% 57% 46% 64 15% N/A  
143 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus 2.82 to 1 71% 67% 60% 33% 83 17% N/A  
144 University of Central Arkansas 2.79 to 1 37% 91% 69% 40% 81 13% N/A  
145 Ohio University-Main Campus 2.79 to 1 58% 86% 80% 65% 99 9% N/A  
146 Colorado State University-Fort Collins 2.78 to 1 42% 76% 83% 64% 87 3% N/A  
147 University of Nebraska at Kearney 2.77 to 1 65% 86% 77% 61% 96 6% N/A  
148 The University of Alabama 2.75 to 1 46% 44% 86% 66% 115 6% N/A  
149 Fielding Graduate University 2.72 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 30 6% N/A  
150 Jackson State University 2.72 to 1 41% 31% 73% 40% 64 16% 70%  
151 Midwestern State University 2.72 to 1 45% 52% 68% 34% 62 10% N/A  
152 New Mexico State University-Main Campus 2.72 to 1 31% 80% 70% 46% 86 15% N/A  
153 Sul Ross State University 2.70 to 1 42% N/A 49% 25% 83 15% N/A  
154 University of North Carolina-Wilmington 2.69 to 1 37% 57% 86% 67% 60 5% N/A  
155 Texas Southern University 2.68 to 1 21% 39% 61% 12% 64 24% N/A  
156 Murray State University 2.67 to 1 66% 81% 72% 53% 84 8% N/A  
157 University of North Texas 2.67 to 1 48% 65% 78% 49% 87 10% N/A  
158 University of Maryland-Baltimore 2.66 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 91 2% N/A  
159 Western Carolina University 2.64 to 1 64% 39% 72% 50% 66 6% N/A  
160 Central Washington University 2.64 to 1 59% 78% 78% 56% 94 5% 100%  
161 Clarion University of Pennsylvania 2.63 to 1 7% 79% 70% 49% 64 7% 95%  
162 University of South Carolina-Columbia 2.62 to 1 58% 70% 87% 70% 95 3% N/A  
163 Georgetown College 2.58 to 1 100% 88% 71% 59% 93 4% N/A  
164 University of Northern Colorado 2.58 to 1 74% 73% 70% 46% 96 8% N/A  
165 University of South Dakota 2.57 to 1 58% 89% 78% 48% 99 6% N/A  
166 University of Wisconsin-Superior 2.57 to 1 26% 89% 68% 44% 96 9% N/A  
167 Indiana State University 2.56 to 1 54% 85% 58% 43% 97 10% N/A  
168 The University of Texas at San Antonio 2.54 to 1 53% 83% 62% 27% 38 11% N/A  
169 Florida State University 2.54 to 1 36% 58% 92% 74% 97 5% N/A  
170 Marshall University 2.53 to 1 54% 81% 70% 45% 84 10% N/A  
171 Fort Valley State University 2.51 to 1 5% 58% 59% 33% 61 23% N/A  
172 Augustana College 2.50 to 1 100% 80% 83% 65% 81 4% N/A  
172 Kentucky Christian University 2.50 to 1 94% 35% 67% 44% 28 14% N/A  
174 University of Louisville 2.50 to 1 55% 75% 78% 51% 97 8% N/A  
175 Texas State University-San Marcos 2.47 to 1 15% 77% 79% 56% 87 6% N/A  
176 Valley City State University 2.46 to 1 88% 87% 57% 42% 97 10% N/A  
177 University of Maine 2.46 to 1 67% 78% 78% 60% 83 7% N/A  
178 Harding University 2.45 to 1 96% 72% 81% 63% 58 4% N/A  
179 South Dakota State University 2.44 to 1 50% 92% 73% 59% 96 5% N/A  
180 East Tennessee State University 2.43 to 1 13% 85% 70% 44% 85 14% N/A  
181 University of Colorado Boulder 2.42 to 1 37% 87% 84% 68% 99 4% N/A  
182 Delta State University 2.41 to 1 55% 58% 61% 32% 82 13% N/A  
183 Union College 2.40 to 1 100% 74% 56% 32% 80 10% N/A  
184 North Greenville University 2.39 to 1 99% 58% 73% 46% 55 6% N/A  
185 University of Dayton 2.37 to 1 98% 75% 86% 74% 84 2% N/A  
186 Middle Tennessee State University 2.37 to 1 21% 70% 70% 45% 84 12% N/A  
187 North Carolina Central University 2.36 to 1 64% 61% 68% 38% 74 15% N/A  
188 University of Missouri-Columbia 2.36 to 1 59% 81% 85% 69% 99 4% N/A  
189 Tennessee State University 2.35 to 1 32% N/A 67% 36% 66 14% N/A  
190 University of Wisconsin-Stout 2.35 to 1 11% 89% 71% 53% 84 4% N/A  
191 University of North Alabama 2.32 to 1 34% 88% 71% 27% 78 14% N/A  
192 The University of Texas at Tyler 2.30 to 1 44% 46% 64% 40% 38 12% N/A  
193 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2.30 to 1 40% 68% 93% 82% 99 3% N/A  
194 The University of Texas at El Paso 2.29 to 1 37% 99% 75% 37% 76 12% N/A  
195 Montana Tech of the University of Montana 2.29 to 1 59% 88% 68% 40% 80 7% N/A  
196 The University of Texas at Arlington 2.29 to 1 50% 69% 71% 40% 48 10% N/A  
197 University of Toledo 2.27 to 1 87% N/A 65% 45% 90 10% N/A  
198 University of South Alabama 2.27 to 1 53% 87% 65% 38% 44 8% N/A  
199 Liberty University 2.25 to 1 80% N/A 73% 48% 32 7% N/A  
200 Thunderbird School of Global Management 2.24 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 43 2% N/A  

Methodology

For each college, we gathered data for nine different metrics: the number of full-time faculty per part-time faculty member; institutional financial aid, acceptance, retention, graduation, job placement, and default rates; years accredited; and undergraduate tuition. Learn more