Erskine ranked 6th among regional colleges in the South

Erskine College has been listed in U.S. News Best Colleges for 2020, placing sixth among 124 “Best Regional Colleges” in the South.

Erskine College Provost Dr. Tom Hellams said Erskine is the top-ranked South Carolina institution among the 124 schools.

“U.S. News & World Report has provided detailed rankings of colleges and universities since 1985,” Hellams observed. “A number of significant factors go into the calculation, including student excellence, alumni giving, faculty resources, academic reputation, and student outcomes.”

Dean of Enrollment Management Tim Rees said Erskine’s No. 6 spot among regional colleges in the South “speaks volumes about the quality of education our students obtain and the care they receive on campus, as evidenced also by being ranked in the top 20 for Best Value, Social Mobility, and Undergraduate Teaching.”

In order to be considered for inclusion as a “Best Value” college, a school must be in the top half of its ranking category and meet certain criteria, including a satisfactory “ratio of quality to price” (the average amount students pay when scholarships are taken into account). Erskine ranked 20th of 28 schools given this designation.

Erskine ranked especially high (12th among 84 schools) in “Social Mobility,” which looks at graduation rates of students receiving Pell Grants, comparing their graduation rates with those of students not receiving Pell Grants.

In the area of “Undergraduate Teaching,” Erskine tied for 11th place among 15 schools. College presidents, provosts, and admissions deans nominated up to 15 schools, and a school was required to receive at least seven such nominations in order to be recognized.

The U.S. News rankings, released Sept. 9, add to Erskine’s momentum as the college welcomes its largest freshman class ever.

“It’s exciting to be recognized in this way,” Hellams said.