Wofford College continues to be recognized as one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, a best value and as a top performer in social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Rankings were announced (Monday, Sept. 13, 2021), and Wofford is ranked No. 67 on the report’s list of national liberal arts colleges, No. 52 in best values and No. 73 in social mobility among national liberal arts colleges.
“Wofford College provides a challenging and life-changing educational experience to students from all backgrounds,” says Dr. Nayef Samhat, the college’s president. “This national recognition is a result of the college’s commitment to student success, which includes close faculty-student mentoring relationships, a strong alumni network, experiential learning opportunities, a commitment to degree completion in four years and an emphasis on preparing students for life after college.”
The college’s Class of 2025 has 461 students who were selected from the largest applicant pool in Wofford’s 167-year history. The class is the most selective ever and has the highest GPA of any entering class. This year’s class is also the most diverse, with 24% from populations underrepresented in higher education.
Compared to the report’s 2021 edition, Wofford moved up two places on the list of national liberal arts colleges and climbed 26 spots on the social mobility ranking, which measures how well colleges graduate students receiving Pell Grants. The grants are typically given to students from households with annual incomes of less than $50,000. Since 2019, the college has moved up 45 spots in social mobility.
This is the 37th year of the U.S. News’ rankings. The United States has more than 4,000 institutions of higher education, including about 500 liberal arts colleges.
In August, Wofford was named to The Princeton Review’s list of “Best 387 Colleges and Best Regional Colleges.” In April, the college was among 200 institutions making The Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges for 2021 list. The college ranks No. 9 in the percentage of students studying abroad for academic credit, No. 12 for short-term study abroad and No. 13 for the total number of students studying abroad among baccalaureate institutions in the Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors Report.