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U.S. News ranks Flagler as top 3 regional college, leader in innovation and undergraduate teaching

St. Augustine, FL (09/18/2023) — Flagler College is pleased to announce its hold in the top three Best Regional Colleges of the South and two new ranked accolades from the 2023-2024 U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Flagler was ranked among colleges like High Point University and Wesleyan College as a top-tier regional college. The College also ranked once again as a Best Value School. Added to this year's rankings, the College took a #2 spot among Most Innovative Schools and a #5 spot in Undergraduate Teaching Programs, both among regional colleges in the South.

"A number three spot in the U.S. News Best Regional Colleges in the South ranking is something every employee on this campus should be proud of," Flagler College President John Delaney said. "This ranking system isn't a catch-all in determining the quality of higher educational institutions, but it speaks to the effort we've put into making Flagler the best place we can for our current and future students to thrive."

U.S. News defines regional colleges as those focusing on undergraduate education but granting fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The southern region encompasses Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas.

School rankings are based 80% on a formula that takes into account 17 areas of academic excellence, each assigned distinct weights, according to its website. These areas include graduation and retention rates, social mobility, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources, and financial resources per student. To add another dimension, the rankings are also based 20% on academic reputation judged through surveys by peer leaders at colleges in the same regional grouping.

'Most Innovative' is a fairly new rankings category as of 2022 that recognizes institutions "making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities." according to the U.S. News methodology. "These rankings enable top college officials to spotlight schools that are making cutting-edge developments on their campuses."

The Undergraduate Teaching ranking is a testament to Flagler's "high-quality" faculty instruction and commitment to its students' success. The Best Value rankings are based on four weighted indicators: ratio of quality to price, need-based aid, percent of need-based aid recipients awarded scholarships or grants, and average discount.

In August, Flagler College was also named one of the Best 388 Colleges and Best Regional Colleges by the Princeton Review in its 2024 guide.

The "U.S. News Best Colleges 2024 Guidebook" is available for pre-order now. The print edition will ship in late October.

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