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 2021 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Rankings were announced today (Monday, Sept. 14, 2020), and Wofford is ranked No. 69 on the report’s list of National Liberal Arts Colleges and No. 49 on the list of Best Value Schools. The college is ranked No. 99 among top performers in social mobility, a ranking based on how well institutions graduated students who received Pell Grants, which are typically given to students from households with annual incomes of less than $50,000.
Wofford is ranked No. 42 on the list of Most Innovative Schools, which recognizes colleges that are making the most innovative improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.
“Wofford’s continued recognition as a national liberal arts college by U.S. News is a testament to the commitment that our community has to student success,” says Dr. Nayef Samhat, Wofford’s president. “We also prove that outstanding academic programs that are challenging and life-changing can be accessible and affordable.”
The college’s Class of 2024 is Wofford’s largest incoming class ever at 497. Selectivity was also at an all-time low with 53% of the college’s applicants being accepted.
Compared to the report’s 2020 edition, Wofford moved up three places on the list of National Liberal Arts Colleges, climbed 19 spots on the social mobility ranking and moved up 15 positions in value ranking.
This is the 36th 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.
Wofford continues to make other national lists too.
In August, the college was among The Princeton Review’s “The Best 386 Colleges.” Wofford made Princeton’s list at No. 19 for having the Best Alumni Network, No. 4 for Greek Life, No. 11 for Most Conservative Students and No. 15 on the list of Most Popular Study Abroad Program. The Princeton Review’s rankings are based on student survey results.
Wofford College, established in 1854, is a four-year, residential liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, S.C. It offers 27 major fields of study to a student body of 1,764 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.