Shenandoah University is ranked 47th among 127 regional universities in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Colleges for 2015.
“Shenandoah University is committed to giving our students what they deserve – the best possible education both inside and outside of the classroom,” said President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. “We are honored to be counted among the top 50 institutions in the South region, and are proud to continue that longstanding tradition.”
The exclusive rankings, now in their 30th year, were announced today and will also be published in the “Best Colleges” book, available on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
This year, Shenandoah increased its graduation rate by seven percent and narrowed the gap between its predicted and actual graduation rate. The university also increased its average freshman retention rate by one percentage point.
Shenandoah is currently ranked #19 and #22 for its Nurse-Midwifery and Physician Assistant Studies programs respectively, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings.
Earlier this year, the university was recognized for the second year in a row as one of the 332 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review.
“At Shenandoah University, our goal is to prepare our students for success long after they walk across the stage,” said Fitzsimmons. “We are proud of the academic success that our students have while they are here, but we also take to heart the compassionate and ethical behavior they exhibit beyond the walls of Shenandoah. We continually focus on how we as a university can build better citizens of the world, and hope that Shenandoah is measured by the quality of its graduates rather than a simple numerical ranking.”
A total of 620 universities are included in the best regional universities segment of U.S. News’ college rankings. Institutions in this category provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few, if any, doctoral programs. Schools in the regional section are ranked within four geographic areas – North, South, Midwest and West.
For information about Best Colleges, visit www.usnews.com/colleges.