Skip to Main content

Flagler College fourth in U.S. News’ Best Regional Colleges in South

Sep 14, 2021

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL. - Flagler College was once again ranked fourth in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Colleges guide for the Best Regional Colleges in the South. Flagler was also featured as first for colleges in the south with a strong commitment to Undergraduate Teaching, as well as ninth on the Best Value list in the south regional colleges category and second for “Most Innovative Schools” among southern colleges. Additionally, Flagler was ranked in the “Top Performers on Social Mobility” category, placing 44th.

“Our number one ranking on the Best in Undergraduate Teaching list, is a testament to the commitment of our faculty to a customized education for each of our students,” said Flagler College Interim President John Delaney. “Flagler faculty are thought leaders in their field and pioneers in teaching; they won’t let students fail.”

The rankings for Best Undergraduate Teaching focus on schools whose faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner. The Best Value list recognizes schools for offering high-quality programs at an affordable cost. Most Innovative Schools were nominated by top academics who took part in a peer assessment survey and were asked about schools that had made the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.

Other schools in the top 10 Best Regional Colleges in the South category include High Point University, Ouachita Baptist University, Florida Polytechnic University, and Maryville College.

U.S. News defines regional colleges as those focusing on undergraduate education, but granting fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Academic quality is measured by gathering data in a number of categories: assessment by administrators at peer institutions, how well schools perform at retaining and graduating students, the quality of and investment in the faculty, student selectivity, financial resources and the state of alumni giving. A rank is arrived after calculating weighted scores for each school.

There were 70 colleges and universities included in the first tier of the rankings of southern colleges.

“The Top Performers on Social Mobility” category examines Pell Grant students’ six-year graduation rate and that rate against the performance of non-Pell Grant students. Those students are defined as students whose family income is less than $50k per year.

In August, Flagler College was also named one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education in The Princeton Review’s “The Best 386 Colleges” guide.

The U.S News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2022” guidebook is available for pre-order now. The print edition will ship in early October and be in bookstores on Nov. 2. For more information, visit https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges.

Tagged As