E&H Climbs in the U.S. News & World Report, Best College Rankings
Emory & Henry College continues to be listed as a Top National Liberals Arts College in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges. For 2020, Emory & Henry College moved up 14 positions in the rankings to 148 out of 215 colleges listed.
“The new ranking reflects our commitment to offer a connected liberal arts educational experience in and out of the classroom,” said President John W. Wells. “We understand the value of connecting our education to the world of work and impacting the future economy through all types of leaders. It’s through very important student success offerings and our loyal alumni that we are making great opportunities happen here.”
The ranking takes into account the college’s performance in areas such as graduation rate, alumni giving, academic reputation, class sizes and financial support. Emory & Henry College is compared to other colleges that emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study per the survey guideline. Factors contributing to the college’s improvement include retention rate, graduation rate; and “debt load to graduation”.
Emory & Henry College tied in its ranking at 148 with five other private and public colleges including: Covenant College, GA; Meredith College, NC; University of Minnesota – Morris; University of North Carolina – Asheville; and Wartburg College, IA.
New this year, U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges published a distinct Social Mobility ranking for all schools. The ranking is computed from the two ranking factors assessing graduation rates of Pell-awarded students. Social mobility measures how well colleges graduated students who received federal Pell Grants (those typically coming from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually, though most Pell Grant money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000).
Emory & Henry was listed at 86 in a group of 108 schools selected as Top Performers on Social Mobility. It tied with Bennett College, NC; Linfield College, OR; and Wheaton College, MA. Emory & Henry College was only one in five colleges in VA to be named to the list.
“We’ve always been a college of opportunity and have worked hard to minimize debt for our students in need,” said Wells. “We look at merit, need based aid, scholarships and other alternatives to make our education affordable and accessible. We are committed to our region and any student who desires a degree in higher education to make a difference in the world.”
Some students attend Emory & Henry with very little out of pocket costs through the E&H LIFT Program or the Bonners Program. Its Honor’s Program is generous with merit scholarships as well as new affinity scholarships being offered for special interest groups such as marching band and rugby that can add toward the bottom line costs. Tuition has been held steady for the past four years.
The full ranking sheet for U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges can be found here:
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The new ranking reflects our commitment to offer a connected liberal arts educational experience in and out of the classroom.
-President John W. Wells