Mount Saint Mary College was recently named an Opportunity College by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education released their updated Carnegie Classification, the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education, in late April.
New this year was the classification of Opportunity Colleges and Universities. These are higher access, higher earnings institutions that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success. The classification means that the Mount provides excellent access to students in-need and underrepresented students, and also that Mount alumni earn higher salaries than their peers after graduation. For example, the average salary of the Mount’s Class of 2023 was $80,000.
Only about 16 percent of colleges and universities across the country have earned this designation.
“Being named an Opportunity College by the Carnegie Classification reflects what’s truly at the heart of Mount Saint Mary College – providing an outstanding education to deserving students who are committed to excellence, regardless of their financial status,” explained Mount President Dr. Robert Gervasi. “That is why the Dominican Sisters of Hope established the Mount, and we’re proud to continue that tradition.”
About 90 percent of Mount students receive financial aid through scholarships and grants, with the college awarding more than $20 million in scholarships and other aid every year.
Evan Merkhofer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, noted that approximately one third of current Mount students are first-generation college students. There’s a significant cross section of the Mount’s first-generation students who also come from underserved populations or are students in-need.
“First-generation college students are often the catalysts of change within their families, inspiring their younger siblings to seek a college education as well,” said Merkhofer. “This can lead to a cultural change within families that sees more and more young people fulfilling their dreams of obtaining a college degree.”
The Carnegie Classification isn’t the only metric to tout the Mount’s positive impact on students in-need: In U.S. News and World Report’s comprehensive lists of top-tier regional universities for 2024-2025, the Mount was ranked in the top 70 colleges in the category of Social Mobility: Regional Universities North. This category measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants. Students receiving these grants typically come from economically disadvantaged households.