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  
201 Montana State University 2.23 to 1 51% 61% 74% 51% 80 3% N/A  
202 University at Buffalo 2.22 to 1 36% 51% 88% 71% 91 4% N/A  
203 Blue Mountain College 2.21 to 1 89% 52% 68% 50% 85 12% N/A  
204 West Chester University of Pennsylvania 2.21 to 1 12% 47% 86% 68% 66 4% N/A  
205 Cedarville University 2.21 to 1 77% 75% 85% 68% 37 2% N/A  
206 Langston University 2.21 to 1 45% N/A 56% 13% 64 33% N/A  
207 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin 2.20 to 1 89% 79% 59% 34% 37 16% N/A  
208 Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott 2.19 to 1 92% 82% 78% 57% N/A 6% 91%  
209 Valparaiso University 2.18 to 1 98% 74% 81% 71% 83 4% N/A  
210 Southern Polytechnic State University 2.14 to 1 1% 74% 76% 32% 48 11% N/A  
211 Saint Louis University-Main Campus 2.13 to 1 85% 62% 85% 61% 96 4% N/A  
212 Northwestern State University of Louisiana 2.13 to 1 56% 82% 69% 34% 71 14% N/A  
213 Black Hills State University 2.12 to 1 37% 94% 61% 29% 84 9% N/A  
214 Missouri State University 2.11 to 1 42% 83% 75% 55% 97 7% N/A  
215 University of Central Missouri 2.08 to 1 60% 80% 73% 50% 97 7% N/A  
216 Southern Oregon University 2.07 to 1 61% 59% 69% 33% 84 7% N/A  
217 Mississippi University for Women 2.06 to 1 78% 44% 75% 39% 91 9% N/A  
218 Missouri Southern State University 2.06 to 1 47% 97% 60% 33% 63 12% N/A  
219 Northeastern State University 2.06 to 1 13% 54% 63% 26% 90 18% N/A  
220 California University of Pennsylvania 2.03 to 1 4% 60% 73% 49% 61 7% 100%  
221 Frostburg State University 2.02 to 1 39% 55% 71% 45% 59 8% N/A  
222 Georgia Southwestern State University 2.02 to 1 30% 68% 65% 30% 80 11% N/A  
223 North Georgia College & State University 2.00 to 1 9% 53% 76% 52% 77 7% N/A  
224 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1.98 to 1 8% 90% 70% 40% 43 6% N/A  
225 Jacksonville State University 1.97 to 1 45% 84% 68% 32% 77 13% 100%  
226 Briar Cliff University 1.97 to 1 99% N/A 69% 45% 67 8% N/A  
227 University of Southern California 1.96 to 1 61% 23% 97% 90% 63 3% N/A  
228 Wright State University-Main Campus 1.96 to 1 53% N/A 62% 41% 44 8% N/A  
229 Spring Hill College 1.95 to 1 99% 49% 76% 61% 90 7% N/A  
230 Central Michigan University 1.92 to 1 64% 68% 76% 54% 97 4% 35%  
231 West Texas A & M University 1.92 to 1 34% 69% 65% 42% 87 11% N/A  
232 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh 1.90 to 1 7% 84% 74% 50% 97 4% N/A  
233 Grand Valley State University 1.89 to 1 63% 83% 82% 63% 44 3% N/A  
234 Ferris State University 1.86 to 1 67% 77% 71% 42% 53 6% N/A  
235 University of the Cumberlands 1.83 to 1 99% 70% 62% 43% 48 11% N/A  
236 Oklahoma Baptist University 1.83 to 1 88% 66% 77% 51% 60 8% N/A  
237 University of Central Florida 1.82 to 1 36% 45% 87% 63% 42 8% N/A  
238 University of the Sciences 1.80 to 1 100% 64% 83% 65% 50 2% N/A  
239 Judson College 1.80 to 1 96% 74% 65% 38% 87 5% N/A  
240 Western Kentucky University 1.80 to 1 27% 92% 73% 43% 86 12% N/A  
241 Saint Cloud State University 1.80 to 1 36% 90% 69% 49% 65 6% N/A  
242 Southern Methodist University 1.79 to 1 77% 55% 89% 75% 91 6% N/A  
243 Graceland University-Lamoni 1.76 to 1 100% 50% 68% 51% 92 6% N/A  
244 University of Alabama in Huntsville 1.75 to 1 71% 64% 79% 45% 42 7% N/A  
245 Western Governors University 1.75 to 1 1% N/A 81% 18% 11 8% N/A  
246 University of Northwestern Ohio 1.75 to 1 21% N/A 59% 60% 25 17% N/A  
247 University of South Carolina-Aiken 1.75 to 1 28% 50% 70% 41% 35 6% N/A  
248 University of Scranton 1.75 to 1 91% 72% 88% 77% 85 3% N/A  
249 Toccoa Falls College 1.74 to 1 97% 50% 67% 50% 55 5% N/A  
250 Goucher College 1.72 to 1 77% 73% 81% 70% 91 3% N/A  
251 Pittsburgh Technical Institute 1.72 to 1 42% N/A 67% 54% 10 18% N/A  
252 National Paralegal College 1.71 to 1 0% N/A 100% 54% 6 N/A N/A  
253 Oregon Health & Science University 1.70 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 32 1% N/A  
254 Florida Gulf Coast University 1.70 to 1 16% 68% 75% 45% 13 7% N/A  
255 Dordt College 1.70 to 1 100% 80% 81% 66% 43 3% N/A  
256 Arkansas Tech University 1.69 to 1 32% 90% 68% 43% 82 19% N/A  
257 Northern Michigan University 1.69 to 1 67% 72% 73% 47% 96 7% N/A  
258 Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus 1.67 to 1 42% 63% 64% 24% 65 18% N/A  
259 Missouri Valley College 1.66 to 1 100% 50% 50% 26% 96 18% N/A  
260 Georgetown University 1.66 to 1 49% 20% 96% 94% 91 1% N/A  
261 Stevens Institute of Technology 1.65 to 1 95% 42% 93% 79% 85 4% N/A  
262 Lewis-Clark State College 1.65 to 1 53% 63% 56% 31% 48 14% N/A  
263 University of Illinois at Chicago 1.64 to 1 59% 63% 79% 54% 42 4% N/A  
264 Trinity Valley Community College 1.64 to 1 29% N/A 54% 23% 60 31% N/A  
265 University of Houston-Victoria 1.62 to 1 87% 41% 54% N/A N/A 7% N/A  
266 Wichita State University 1.61 to 1 66% 94% 73% 44% 85 6% N/A  
267 Western Michigan University 1.61 to 1 60% 83% 74% 56% 97 5% N/A  
268 Minnesota State University-Moorhead 1.59 to 1 24% 63% 68% 45% 64 5% N/A  
269 Presentation College 1.59 to 1 81% 75% 67% 39% 41 11% N/A  
270 The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 1.59 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A  
271 Wayne State University 1.59 to 1 76% 76% 77% 26% 97 10% N/A  
272 Green Mountain College 1.57 to 1 95% 67% 63% 44% 78 10% N/A  
273 Eastern Kentucky University 1.56 to 1 27% 66% 66% 37% 84 12% 100%  
274 University of Illinois at Springfield 1.56 to 1 89% 60% 75% 61% 37 9% N/A  
275 Southeastern University 1.56 to 1 84% N/A 66% 42% 26 11% N/A  
276 Armstrong Atlantic State University 1.55 to 1 6% 57% 65% 32% 72 9% N/A  
277 Old Dominion University 1.53 to 1 24% 75% 80% 50% 51 5% N/A  
278 Wheeling Jesuit University 1.53 to 1 100% 72% 71% 62% 50 7% N/A  
279 University of Memphis 1.51 to 1 29% 66% 77% 38% 85 9% N/A  
280 Eastern Michigan University 1.51 to 1 72% 66% 76% 40% 97 9% N/A  
281 Lander University 1.51 to 1 37% 46% 64% 37% 60 4% N/A  
282 Florida Atlantic University 1.51 to 1 31% 35% 79% 43% 45 8% N/A  
283 Minnesota State University-Mankato 1.49 to 1 24% 89% 77% 50% 96 5% N/A  
284 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 1.48 to 1 64% 71% 74% 48% 48 6% N/A  
285 Macon State College 1.48 to 1 9% 75% 74% 13% 42 18% N/A  
286 The University of Texas at Brownsville 1.48 to 1 88% N/A 46% 19% 17 16% N/A  
287 Tennessee Technological University 1.48 to 1 27% 97% 73% 50% 73 4% N/A  
288 Wayne State College 1.48 to 1 30% N/A 68% 51% 95 9% N/A  
289 Montana State University-Northern 1.48 to 1 39% 64% 58% 30% 80 12% N/A  
290 Florida International University 1.46 to 1 46% 51% 82% 43% 38 9% N/A  
291 Culver-Stockton College 1.45 to 1 100% 66% 65% 41% 88 13% N/A  
292 Keiser University-Ft. Lauderdale 1.44 to 1 46% 89% 84% 57% 21 20% N/A  
293 Framingham State University 1.44 to 1 38% 66% 74% 52% 62 7% N/A  
294 Clayton State University 1.44 to 1 5% 39% 67% 26% 41 12% 100%  
295 Illinois Institute of Technology 1.43 to 1 100% 64% 89% 64% 76 5% N/A  
296 Brigham Young University-Idaho 1.42 to 1 32% 99% 73% 61% 76 2% N/A  
297 Bemidji State University 1.38 to 1 31% 90% 68% 45% 69 7% N/A  
298 Columbus State University 1.37 to 1 11% 54% 70% 31% 49 9% N/A  
299 Northern Arizona University 1.37 to 1 64% 65% 73% 52% 82 7% N/A  
300 Grace College and Theological Seminary 1.36 to 1 100% 95% 79% 56% 36 4% 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