UNC Asheville has once again garnered the No. 7 spot among public liberal arts universities in U.S. News and World Report’s new “2019 Best Colleges,” released online today.
The National Liberal Arts Colleges list of both public and private universities includes UNC Asheville among those where students graduate with the least amount of debt – an average of $23,824, with 42 percent of graduating students not borrowing at all to complete their education.
“The U.S. News ranking affirms UNC Asheville’s long-standing commitment to academic rigor and student success, two cornerstones of our undergraduate education, and it is an honor to be recognized nationally,” said UNC Asheville Chancellor Nancy J. Cable. “Through the efforts of faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni, we are a leader in the liberal arts for the state of North Carolina and the nation.”
In addition to being named among the Top Public Liberal Arts Colleges, UNC Asheville is included on the list of “A+ Schools for B Students.” This list recognizes schools that seek and admit a broad and engaged student body, admitting a meaningful proportion of applicants whose test scores and class standing put them in non-A territory.
Several UNC Asheville programs also earned recognition, with the Engineering Program, a joint degree with N.C. State, included in the 2019 list of Undergraduate Engineering Programs. UNC Asheville’s Department of Management and Accountancy also makes the list for the best business programs, based on its accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Less than one-third of management and accountancy programs in the U.S. earn this recognition and only 5 percent of the 16,000 business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB.
The Best Colleges rankings assess academic quality across 16 measures, using a formula that places an emphasis on educational quality and outcomes. Graduation and retention rates are weighted most heavily and account for one-third of a school’s academic rank. Faculty resources, experts’ opinions of academic reputation, financial resources, student excellence, standardized tests and high school class standing, and alumni giving are also included.
The list of the Top 10 Public Liberal Arts Colleges includes the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, Virginia Military Institute and fellow members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC): New College of Florida, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of Minnesota, Morris, and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Purchase College SUNY concludes this year’s public liberal arts colleges list.
UNC Asheville also is ranked highly by The Princeton Review, recently earning a spot on the top 20 lists for “Best Quality of Life” and “Town-Gown Relations are Great.” UNC Asheville ranks No. 2 nationally for the “Best Schools for Making an Impact,” in The Princeton Review’s “Colleges that Pay You Back.”
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