The Heritage Foundation , a conservative think tank behind Project 2025 , recently endorsed two colleges in southwest Missouri but recommended against one in Springfield.
The new “Choose College with Confidence” guide released in mid-September included reviews of 280 higher education institutions including five — of the more than 60 — colleges and universities in Missouri.
The rankings were coded green, yellow and red.
To determine its level of support, the guide used standard metrics such as graduation rate, average administrative cost per student and the percent of students admitted who actually enrolled. It also looked at the number of conservative versus liberal clubs; prevalence of diversity, equity and inclusion administrators and whether the institution had a bias response team, departments of ethnic or gender studies, or required diversity statements in hiring.
Southwest Baptist University, headquartered in Bolivar, and the College of the Ozarks just south of Branson were coded green and designated a “great option” in the guide.