SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College remains one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges and among the best values in higher education, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” released today (Monday Sept. 9, 2019).
Wofford is ranked #72 on the report’s National Liberal Arts Colleges list and #63 on the list of Best Value Schools. The college also is ranked #108 among top performers in social mobility, a ranking based on how well institutions graduated students who received Pell Grants; these students typically are from households with annual incomes of less than $50,000.
U.S. News ranks 223 national liberal arts colleges this year, the 35th year of the rankings; there are about 500 liberal arts colleges in the country.
“That Wofford consistently is recognized as one of the nation’s best institutions of higher education by U.S. News reflects our commitment to being a premier national liberal arts college defined by excellence, engagement and transformation in preparing our students for meaningful lives as citizens, leaders and scholars,” President Nayef Samhat says. “As a ‘best value college,’ Wofford is noted for our commitment to providing an outstanding academic program while also focusing on affordability to a wide range of students and their families that understand the value of a college education.
“Being recognized as a top performer in social mobility demonstrates Wofford’s commitment to student success,” he adds.
The guide’s rankings evaluate some 1,400 of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities on 16 measures of academic quality, such as first-year student retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty.
The best value ranking considers the institution’s academic quality, indicated by its best colleges ranking, and the 2018-19 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. Only institutions ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included in the best value ranking “because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.”
Wofford continues to be included in national college guides for its outstanding academic program, its value and its commitment to economic diversity.
In August, Wofford was included in The Princeton Review’s “The Best 385 Colleges,” which earlier this year included Wofford on its list of “The Best Value Colleges: 200 Schools with Exceptional ROI for Your Tuition Investment.”
In the most recent ranking by The New York Times for “Top Colleges Doing the Most for the American Dream,” Wofford was #103 on the list of 171 of the more than 4,200 public and private colleges and universities in the country. The ranking is based on the number of lower- and middle-income students – those eligible for Pell Grants – who enroll and the price the college charges them.
“Wofford continues to be among the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country on the key issues that most concern families regarding higher education – access, diversity, quality and completion,” Samhat says.
Wofford College, established in 1854, is a four-year, residential liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, S.C. It offers 26 major fields of study to a student body of 1,690 undergraduates. Nationally known for its strong academic program, outstanding faculty, study abroad participation and successful graduates, Wofford is recognized consistently as a “best value college” and is among the New York Times’ “Top Colleges Doing the Most for the American Dream,” a ranking based on accessibility for low- and middle-income students. The college community enjoys Greek Life as well as 19 NCAA Division I athletics teams.