Shenandoah Celebrates New Rankings, Continued Excellence in Academics
U.S. News & World Report ranks university as second-highest private school in Virginia among national universities
Shenandoah University celebrates another successful year by retaining its spot as the second-highest ranked Virginia private school among national universities in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
The university is ranked 263 among 392 national universities. A school’s rank is based on 17 indicators of academic quality. The latest data available for the ranking calculations pertain to Fall 2020 and earlier.
Shenandoah is proud to see improvements and continued strong performances in several categories, including our average first-year retention rate (held steady at a high 82%).
Other improvements include:
- An improvement in our social mobility ranking — 192 this year compared to 303 last year. Social mobility measures how well schools graduate students who received federal Pell Grants. Families with incomes up to $50,000 are eligible for Pell Grant aid, but most money goes to those with incomes less than $20,000.
- The university’s two-year average grad rate for students who received a Pell Grant increased from 52% to 58%. These rankings show that as a university we were successful in advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating more economically disadvantaged students.
- An increase in the percentage of first-year students who were in the top 10% in their high school class — up to 15% from 11% last year
- Our student selectivity as a university also improved in ranking — at 273 from 312 last year.
Excellence in Academic Programs
Along with our university ranking, several of Shenandoah’s academic programs have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for both their excellence and academic rigor.
- Our occupational therapy program ranks at No. 4 among Virginia schools
- The physician assistant studies program ranks No. 1 in Virginia and No. 21 nationally
- Shenandoah’s nurse-midwifery program is No. 1 in Virginia and No. 30 nationally
- And our master’s-level nursing program ranks No. 5 in Virginia, and No. 1 among Virginia private universities
An A+ School for B Students
This year, Shenandoah was also recognized as an A+ School for B Students, ranking 63 out of 121 schools. This ranking identifies schools that bring in great students who might not have received the highest test scores or GPA. To make the list, a school has to have a high ranking, along with an average first-year student retention rate of 75% or higher.
New Bachelor of Science in Nursing Rankings
This year, U.S. News & World Report published its first-ever undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) rankings. The rankings are based solely on the judgment of deans and senior faculty members of nursing departments in higher education institutes around the country. Shenandoah ranked 251 out of 694 schools — a great first-time ranking for a school of our size.
Another Big Class
Shenandoah is also celebrating one of its largest incoming classes of new students, with 513 first-year students, 200 transfer students, and 450 graduate students. Fall enrollment numbers will not be finalized and official until a census is taken in early October.
The university currently enrolls about 4,020 students.
