North Greenville University moved into the top third of institutions in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of “Best Regional Universities” in the South, the highest ranking it has held in the influential report.
In the 2022-23 rankings, released on Monday, Sept. 12, NGU ties for 38th among 135 universities in the region which includes 12 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the 2021-22 rankings, NGU was ranked #70 in the region.
“We are grateful for the many recognitions we have received regarding the excellence of our academic programs,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “This one is particularly satisfying because of its inclusion of peer survey to produce the reputational aspect. Our community works hard to equip transformational leaders for church and society, and this is an incredible affirmation of these efforts.”
North Greenville also repeated its recognition as a Top Performer for Social Mobility, ranking 17th out of 135 schools. According to U.S. News, Social Mobility “measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants – typically from households earning less than $50,000 annually.”
“Our university was created as a school to prepare students who had limited opportunities to complete their academic degrees,” said President Fant. “Today, 130 years after our founding, we still rank highly in helping students gain college degrees allowing them to advance in their careers.”
In the rankings for overall quality, NGU was tied for the seventh-highest rating among 16 South Carolina institutions. The Citadel was the #2 institution in the region, behind Florida’s Rollins College. NGU tied with Coastal Carolina University and Columbia International University.
NGU was second to Columbia College among South Carolina schools reporting the highest percentage of classes that have less than 20 students. Seventy-nine percent of NGU’s classes meet that criteria and the university tied with several Palmetto State institutions for the lowest student-to-faculty ratio at 11-to-1.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate more than 1,450 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality. Those measures include graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, social mobility, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources, financial resources, student excellence, standardized test scores, and student outcomes.
"For nearly 40 years, the Best Colleges methodology has continuously evolved to reflect changes in the higher education landscape and the interests of prospective students," said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. "Guiding that evolution is U.S. News' mission of providing useful data and information to help with one of life's biggest decisions."
A full list of rankings from the U.S. News & World Report can be found at USNews.com.