How does your favorite college rate?

While doing recent research, I came across an October 8, 2025, article from the Heritage Foundation, the initiator and publisher of Project 2025 and the plan's central document, "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise."

The title of the Heritage article, “Choose College with Confidence,” and the opening two sentences caught my eye. Universities should promote freedom, opportunity, and upward mobility, fostering free expression and open academic inquiry. They should be intellectually rigorous and provide students with a solid return on investment. Who could argue with that? I was drawn in and continued reading.

The Heritage rating system consists of three categories: Great Option; Worth Considering; and Not Recommended. The online version of the article includes an interactive, color-coded map that made it easy to find the institutions I selected from the 897 American colleges and universities that were rated. You simply find the college of choice, click on it, and the rating is given. You can also search by college name to get the ratings. I was hooked. Here are some of the things I learned.

Of the 23 Iowa institutions of higher learning rated by Heritage, only Dordt, Briar Cliff, and Northwestern College received the Great Option label. All three schools are in the northwest corner of the state. Cornell College in Mount Vernon was tagged as Worth Considering. The remaining 19, including some of those close to my Cedar Rapids home — Coe, Drake, Luther, Wartburg, Northern Iowa and the University of Dubuque were all given the “Not Recommended” rating. My alma mater, Augustana College (Illinois), was also rated “Not Recommended.”

I clicked the 18 schools of the Big Ten. Not one school was given the highest rating; the University of Iowa was “Not Recommended.” Big 12 Conference? Brigham Young was the only school designated as “Great Option.” Iowa State was “Not Recommended.” Surely the Ivy League would boast some ratings toppers. Five Ivies were “Not Recommend.” Not one was a “Great Option.” What is going on here?

As I clicked on the green dots of the “Great Option” schools, I saw a pattern develop. It appeared that faith-based schools are rated more highly. Some of those with the highest rating include Louisiana Christian, Trinity Bible College (North Dakota), Southwest Baptist (Missouri), Tennessee Wesleyan, Wyoming Catholic College, and Ouachita Baptist (Arkansas).

Looking closer to home, I checked out Mt. Mercy (Cedar Rapids), Loras College (Dubuque), and St. Ambrose (Davenport). All three had the lowest “Not Recommended” rating. That last one really stung as I had taught graduate classes at St. Ambrose after retiring from full-time service in the public schools. Ouch! What about Creighton (Nebraska)? I knew some folks who went there, and they spoke highly of the school. Nope … “Not Recommended.” Fighting Irish fans may be disheartened to learn the school of their dreams is merely “Worth Considering.”

I remember an encounter I had with Hillsdale College, a school the Heritage Foundation has rated Great Option, when I attempted to gather some data for a research project. I’ll spare you most of the details but share that I called out the president of the college, Larry Arn, over some comments he made that were captured in a 2022 article in the Tennessee Lookout. The Hillsdale leader said, “Here’s the thing we’re going to try to do. We are going to try to demonstrate that you don’t have to be an expert to educate a child because basically anybody can do it.” He went on, “Teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.” Ouch! Ouch! I was trained as a teacher and never looked at my education in those ways. I found his words especially interesting when I learned that Hillsdale offers a graduate degree in teacher education. I wonder if the students know of their college president’s lack of belief in them.

I guess Arn couldn’t help himself. A local station, NewsChannel 5, recorded him on video asserting that modern education is based on “enslavement” and that teachers “feel entitled” to manipulate children. I sent four emails to Dr. Arn over the course of two months. He did not respond. He is in his 25th year as Hillsdale President.

So, what does it take to get the Heritage Foundation’s highest rating? How does Hillsdale and other schools earn the most meritorious distinction? From the Heritage Foundation website: Institutions in this category provide a rigorous, well-rounded education with strong outcomes, including high graduation rates and competitive postgraduation earnings. They prioritize free expression and remain largely independent from heavy DEI bureaucracies, appealing to families who value freedom, opportunity, and civil society.

Using another data source that is easily accessible, the U.S. Department of Education Scorecard, I pulled out four schools to take a closer look at graduation rates, ethnicity, and postgraduation earnings. I added the average range of ACT scores for admittance because I think the human product you start with has an effect on the outcomes.

Hillsdale led the way with an impressive graduation rate of 86%. Augustana followed at 77%. Dordt, one of the three Iowa schools receiving the highest rating was tied with the University of Iowa at 72%, a school that received the lowest rating. Average net cost: Dordt was the highest at $25,383; U of Iowa was next at $21,398. Augustana was the lowest at $12,437. Augie was recently recognized for its effectiveness in providing aid for students in need, thus effectively driving down overall cost. Curiously, the numbers for Hillsdale College were not available.

I wondered about the ethnicity of the student population. Augustana’s white population is 58%, U of Iowa 75%, and 80% of Dordt’s students are white. Once again, the numbers for Hillsdale college are not available.

What about the caliber of students the college starts with? Hillsdale’s ACT acceptance range is 30-33. I have been around awhile, and I personally know fewer than 10 people who have scored that high on the ACT. Dordt, that Iowa school with the highest rating has an acceptance threshold of 21-27; Augustana 21-28; U of Iowa 22-28.

So, there you have it. I still have no idea how the Heritage Foundation ratings are determined. I believe they can be misleading and damaging to an institution’s reputation.

With all due respect, I plan to conduct my own research and evaluation of colleges and universities. I encourage you to do the same.

Dave Markward is a former Cedar Rapids Community Schools superintendent and author of “ From Dubuque to Selma: My Journey to Understand Racism in America.”