By Cassie Williams Jones
Averett University continues to rank within the top 20 of the best regional liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report. Ranked as No. 18, Averett continues to be the highest-ranking of only three Virginia schools from the complete list of 69 schools on the “2021 Best Regional Colleges in the South” list.
Averett was also ranked No. 7 out of 15 best regional colleges in the south for veterans this year, as well as No. 16 among regional colleges in the south in the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility.
“We are always grateful when third-party endorsements recognize Averett’s immense amount of passion, innovation and dedication to our students,” said Averett University President Dr. Tiffany M. Franks. “This continued acknowledgment is a testament to the quality of our faculty, staff and students, and the recognitions for our commitment to our veterans and the social mobility of our students speak to our values of access and diversity.”
The rankings formula uses exclusively statistical quantitative and qualitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality. To calculate the overall rank for each school within each category, up to 16 metrics of academic excellence are assigned weights that reflect U.S. News’ researched judgment about how much they matter.
U.S. News assesses social mobility by measuring how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants – grants typically given to students with lower family incomes. Best Colleges for Veterans rankings provide military veterans and active-duty service members with data on which top-ranked schools offer benefits that can help them make pursuing a college education more affordable. Averett qualified for its certification of the GI Bill, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, its number of enrolled active-duty service members, and its placement in the top half of the regional colleges in the south list.
The rankings are freely available at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges.
ABOUT AVERETT UNIVERSITY
Since 1859, Averett University has grown and developed into a dynamic institution that serves students of all ages, offering more than 30 undergraduate majors, minors and special programs, along with seven graduate programs with a number of concentrations. Dedicated to preparing students to serve and lead as catalysts for positive change, the University’s historic main campus is embedded in the heart of Southern Virginia with regional campuses throughout Virginia and online. Averett enrolls a diverse student body and boasts an alumni network that spans the globe.