Newberry College Among Top Five In Best Value

 In Local News

Newberry College has been named one of the top five best value colleges in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report. In the annual college rankings for 2022, published today, Newberry also held its place among the top 10 for social mobility and retained its No. 11 position among the overall best colleges in the region.

Here are Newberry’s official rankings:

  • Best Regional Colleges – South: No. 11
  • Best Value Colleges – South: No. 4
  • Top Performers on Social Mobility – South: No. 7

This year’s rankings are consistent indicators of Newberry College’s success. The college has been among the top 10 for value since it made the list in 2017. Newberry has remained among the top 10 in social mobility since the category’s creation in 2020. Finally, in a series of stunning leaps, Newberry has worked all the way up from No. 41 among the region’s best in 2016 to No. 11 in 2021.

“Our trajectory in these national rankings reflect the transformative advances being made by the College,” said President Maurice Scherrens. “The College is on a journey of growth, change and continuous improvement. We are reimagining our role in higher education as we add state-of-the-art facilities and new academic programs – including our first new graduate program. Our success has only been possible through the efforts of our outstanding faculty, staff and coaches.”

From the value perspective, Newberry College reaffirmed its commitment to affordability with its Tuition Promise, which freezes an incoming student’s tuition for their four years at Newberry. The promise was initiated in 2013, supplemented by a loan repayment promise in 2016, and the Tuition Promise has been renewed by the Board of Trustees since 2019.

“We constantly evaluate our key performance indicators as an institution, to see how we can become better and in turn better help our students,” said Rob Best, chair of the Board of Trustees and a 1971 graduate. “Alongside student retention, graduation rates and others, these rankings help confirm that we are on the right track.”

The Top Performers on Social Mobility list is based upon graduation rates of students who received federal Pell Grants. Available to students with household incomes below $50,000, most Pell Grant funds benefit those with incomes below $20,000. Newberry College’s Pell Grant recipients graduate at a rate nearly identical to that of non-recipients.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the rankings compare four-year colleges and universities from across the country on 15 diverse measures of academic quality. Factors used in the rankings include average ACT and SAT scores, student-to-faculty ratios, graduation rates, tuition and financial aid, student body characteristics, post-graduate employment and more.

Find out more about the college rankings at usnews.com/colleges.