BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) member institutions Wheaton College (Mass.), Grove City College (Pa.), Washington & Jefferson College, Saint Francis University (Pa.), Wagner College and Mercyhurst University are listed on the Citizens Bank/College Raptor’s Hidden Gem College Rankings for institutions in the United States.
The complete list of rankings are available by CLICKING HERE.
In the United States national rankings, the list highlights one school from all 50 states – and the District of Columbia – which meet the following criteria:
- Receive fewer than 5,000 applications a year.
- Have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students enrolled.
- Have an acceptance rate higher than 10%.
- Have five or more unique majors.
- Rank within the top half of College Raptor’s overall rankings.
For more information on methodology behind the college rankings, check out the College Raptor ranking methodology breakdown.
Wheaton and Grove – which made the list of the best Hidden Gems nationally in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania – also earn spots on the national Division III Hidden Gems at No. 1 (Grove City) and No. 18 (Wheaton).
Further, in the Mid-East Hidden Gems selections, Grove City (No. 1), Washington & Jefferson (No. 11), Saint Francis (No. 13), Wagner (No. 21) and Mercyhurst (No. 40) earn spots among the 63 honored institutions.
- In Massachusetts, Wheaton College (Mass.) of 1,749 undergraduates in Norton, Mass., got its start as the Wheaton Female Seminary in 1834. It received its current moniker in 1912 and began admitting men in 1988. To offer more courses to students, Wheaton has partnerships with Brown University and nine other local schools. The school offers men’s varsity water polo competition in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) along with women’s play in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
- Grove City in Grove City, Pa., is the “Hidden Gem” selection in Pennsylvania. A member of the CWPA in women’s competition,the non-denominational private college of 2,370 undergraduates was founded in 1876. With an 88% first year retention rate, 87% of students graduate within four years. Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science are the most popular undergraduate majors at the institution which offers women’s varsity competition in the CWPA.
- Washington & Jefferson in Washington, Pa., came about in 1865 when Washington College and Jefferson College, both founded in the early 1800s, merged. The 60-acre campus is home to McMillan Hall, which was built in 1793, and the school was featured in the Netflix show, “Mindhunter.” 76% of students of the institution graduate within six years from the institution which field a men’s varsity team in the MPSF along with a women’s team in the CWPA.
- Founded in 1847, Saint Francis in Loretto, Pa., is affiliated with the Catholic Church. The 600-acre campus is home to a museum of art, The Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life, and a nine-hole golf course. The institution fields a women’s team in the CWPA and is currently undergoing a transition from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I to Division III.
- Wagner College, located in Staten Island, N.Y., fields a men’s team in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) along with a women’s team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Seahawks’ 105-acre campus overlooks the New York Harbor, downtown Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan and the Verrazzano Bridge. Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the school opened in 1883.
- Based in Erie, Pa., Mercyhurst has an acceptance rate of 81% with approximately 95% of students receiving institutional grant aid (approximately $28,508 on average). The school fields varsity teams in both men’s (Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference) and women’s (Collegiate Water Polo Association) competition.
