GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently received notification that it ranks 8th among “Best Regional Colleges—South” in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 edition of America’s Best Colleges, according to President Matt Pinson. This also included a ranking of #1 for “Top Performers on Social Mobility” in the Regional Colleges—South category, which comprises 92 other colleges and universities in the South.
“We’re so pleased that Welch is moving up in the rankings,” President Pinson said. “We’d hoped to get into the top ten in our category in the next five to seven years. So this is welcome news. This respected national study confirms that the college’s academic programs are recognized not only by our supporters but also by the broader academic community. It’s also another reminder to prospective students and their parents that Welch College remains a top-quality institution of higher learning that delivers its educational promise.”
“We’re delighted that, for the first time, we were ranked #1 in ‘Top Performers on Social Mobility’ for our category,” Pinson continued. “This ranking measures how well colleges and universities do at graduating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We are especially thankful for this distinction.”
The “Best Regional Colleges—South” category where Welch College is ranked includes institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in professional fields such as business, nursing, and education. Most of these institutions award fewer than fifty graduate degrees annually.
Provost Matthew McAffee said, “To be among the top ten institutions in our category is remarkable. This accomplishment is a testimony to the hard work of our faculty and staff over the years and its cumulative effect on our institutional success. Our rise to 8th place indicates measurable success. It demonstrates to our constituents that Welch College is increasingly being recognized by the broader educational community as a quality institution of higher learning.”
U.S. News rankings judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely-accepted indicators of excellence in higher education: what peer institutions think of the institution, how many freshmen return their sophomore year, how many of them go on to graduate, student-faculty ratio, faculty quality, financial resources, alumni giving, and more.
“To put our ranking in perspective,” Pinson said, “the other institutions in the top ten in our category have an average enrollment of 1,952—five times higher than Welch’s—and an average endowment of $77 million—17 times higher than Welch’s.”
U.S. News ranked the top-ten institutions in the Regional Colleges—South category as follows:
[1] High Point University (NC)
[2] Ouachita Baptist University (AR)
[3] Florida Polytechnic University
[4] Flagler College (FL)
[5] (tie) Maryville College (TN)
[5] (tie) University of the Ozarks (AR)
[7] Claflin University (SC)
[8] (tie) Catawba College (NC)
[8] (tie) Welch College (TN
[10] LaGrange College (GA)
Welch received especially high marks in three strategic areas, ranking as follows:
1st in student-faculty ratio
1st in classes under 50 students (tied)
3rd in graduation rate
5th in classes under 20 students
8th in freshman-to-sophomore retention
8th in alumni giving
For more information about the rankings, visit https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-colleges-south. For more information about Welch, email gotowelch@welch.edu or visit www.welch.edu.