UMW ranked among best colleges in south

By EMILY MONTGOMERY
The U.S. News and World Report placed the University of Mary Washington sixth in the “Top Public Regional Universities – South” category in their latest Best Colleges rankings, announced Sept. 13.

“It’s exciting to see that U.S. News and World Report recognized what students and faculty already know: the University of Mary Washington is an excellent place to receive an education,” Director of News and Public Information Marty Morrison said.

This comes soon after UMW received awards from the Fiske College Guide, the Princeton Review and Forbes as one of the best universities in the country, according to university press releases.

“This accolade, as well as consistent high rankings in the Princeton Review, Fiske College Guide and Forbes news magazine, is a testament to the dedicated faculty and exceptional students at UMW,” she added.

The U.S. News also ranked UMW 15th in the category for regional universities in the South. This is the fifth year in a row that the school has ranked in the top 20 southern universities.

According to the U.S. News website, they use factors such as freshman retention, strength of faculty and graduation rates to place schools.

The regional universities category include schools that offer undergraduate and master’s programs, but few doctoral programs.

The James Madison University is the only Virginia school to place higher than UMW in these rankings. The top school ranked in this category for the south is Rollins University in Winter Park, Fla.