Averett also recognized for best value and social mobility

Averett University has climbed in the most recent rankings with U.S. News & World Report and continued as the highest-ranking Virginia school on the list.

Averett was named No. 15 on the “2024 Best Regional Colleges in the South” list – its highest spot on the list in four years. The University also maintained its position as the No. 12 southern regional college for best value – the only Virginia school included. Additionally, Averett made the list for upward social mobility of its graduates.

“Averett University is consistently recognized among our peers by this ranking and several other distinguished ones, further validating what we know to be true: Averett provides transformational learning and outcomes for graduates through a well-rounded educational foundation, experiential learning opportunities and workforce preparedness,” said Averett President Dr. Tiffany M. Franks. “We remain grateful for these accolades that highlight the great work of our students, faculty and staff.”

According to U.S. News, it “made refinements to this year’s rankings formula by dropping five long-standing factors, modifying the weights of several other factors, and introducing a few new ones.” It also “increased the emphasis on how often schools’ students from all socioeconomic backgrounds earned degrees and took advantage of information on graduate outcomes that was not available until recently.”

The social mobility ranking assesses how well schools graduate economically disadvantaged students, including the degree to which Pell-awarded students graduate and perform. To learn more about U.S. News’ methodology, click here.