Longwood University has been included in six national or regional rankings of the best colleges within the past year.
In early August, the Princeton Review, an education services company, selected Longwood as one of 138 institutions in its "Best in the Southeast" section of its 2014 Best Colleges: Region by Region survey. Longwood was included in this list last year as well. In February, the Princeton Review also selected Longwood one of 75 public institutions to be featured in its book, The Best Value Colleges: 2014 Edition. This is the third year that Longwood has made this list. Both lists rely on student opinion surveys.
For the fourth consecutive year, Longwood was included as one of the best colleges in the United States in the annual survey published by Forbes magazine, announced in late July. The list of 650 undergraduate institutions, compiled with research from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, is based on factors that measure the quality of the education each school provides, the experiences of its students and the achievements of its graduates. The rankings are based on the general categories of post-graduate success, student satisfaction, debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards.
Longwood is for the 16th straight year ranked among the best colleges in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. The most recent "Best Colleges" report, released in September 2013, ranks Longwood No. 12 in the Top Public Schools category for Regional Universities in the South. Among all Regional Universities in the South, including private institutions, Longwood is ranked in the top tier at No. 31. The U.S. News rankings are based on assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
"These rankings demonstrate that Longwood is an outstanding option for many students," said Sallie McMullin, dean of admissions. "Faculty, staff, students and alumni know Longwood offers an ideal college experience. However, it is special when our appreciation of Longwood is validated by a third party."
Longwood has recently been included in two other rankings. One is a top-10 national ranking of the "Biggest Girl Power Schools" by the online magazine Her Campus, and the other is a list of Virginia colleges with the Best Student-Teacher Ratios by The College Database.
Longwood is No. 8 in the "Biggest Girl Power Schools" list, part of the Her Campus 2013 College Rankings, which includes Yale University and Smith and Wellesley colleges. "Longwood has opened its doors to men, but its history of women’s leadership still stands out," says the accompanying article. Her Campus calls itself "the #1 online community for college women."
Longwood is No. 12 on the list of Virginia colleges with the Best Student-Teacher Ratios by The College Database, which features schools of more than 5,000 students that maintain an average student-faculty ratio of less than 20 to 1. Longwood’s ratio is listed at 18 to 1. The College Database is a free website that provides college-related information.
Longwood's online graduate business programs were ranked among the best nationally by U.S. News & World Report in January 2014. The programs were ranked 62nd among the 239 online programs that offer a master’s degree in business. Only one Virginia school ranked higher than Longwood. The most important factors in the rankings (www.usnews.com/rankings) were student engagement, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.
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