Furman Among Top National Liberal Arts Colleges In 2019 U.S. News Rankings
Sep 10, 2018 12:23PM ● By Kathleen MarisFurman University is ranked No. 51 among the 229 schools listed in the category of “National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the annual rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. Furman moved up two spots from last year.
The ranking in “America’s Best Colleges” makes Furman the top-rated liberal arts and sciences institution in South Carolina and places the university among the top 25 percent of colleges in the national liberal arts category, which emphasizes undergraduate education and whose schools award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts and sciences.
Furman was ranked No. 21 in the category of “Most Innovative Schools” that are making “cutting-edge changes” on their campuses, and was ranked No. 38 among “High School Counselors’ Top College Picks,” a list based on the responses of high school counselors who were asked to rate the quality of a school’s undergraduate academic program.
The university was also ranked No. 3 among national liberal arts schools in the category of “Best Colleges for Veterans.”
“We recognize that many prospective students and their families look at rankings to begin their college search, so it’s gratifying to be mentioned prominently in publications like U.S. News,” said Furman President Elizabeth Davis. “Since The Furman Advantage is about giving our students a unique and highly individualized educational experience, we’re also pleased to be listed among the ‘Most Innovative Schools’ and ‘High School Counselors’ Top Picks.’”
The U.S. News rankings evaluate colleges and universities on 16 measures of academic quality. Those areas include peer assessment, retention of students, graduation rate performance, faculty resources, student social mobility, financial resources, and alumni giving. This year, Furman saw increases in its scores in peer assessment, retention, and faculty resources, among other areas.