BSC remains on national collegiate ranking by U.S. News

For Immediate Release
Sep. 12, 2018

Birmingham-Southern College has again been included on the list of top National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News and World Report in “Best Colleges” for 2019. The rankings were released Sept. 10.

“At Birmingham-Southern, we are preparing men and women to lead lives of significance by offering them incredible opportunities for hands-on education, mentoring, and more,” said BSC President Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith. “We are proud that U.S. News has once again ranked our college among the best in the nation.”

U.S. News lists 239 institutions in its prestigious “national liberal arts college” rankings; there are about 500 liberal arts colleges in the country. The guide places BSC at #131 on the list—tied with three other colleges.

The new edition provides data on more than 1,800 colleges and universities, including nearly 1,400 ranked institutions. Schools are evaluated on up to 16 metrics that measure academic excellence, such as class size and average spending per student, as well as affordability and faculty strength. The U.S. News methodology places the heaviest weight on student outcomes, including analyzing schools’ success at retaining and graduating students.

For the 2019 rankings, U.S. News added a new outcome indicator looking at a school’s success at graduating students who received federal Pell Grants. U.S. News also ranks colleges and universities in other areas, such as Best Colleges for Veterans, High School Counselor Rankings, and Most Innovative Schools.

In August, Birmingham-Southern was named a “hidden gem” in the Southeast by the college matching platform College Raptor Inc. The Fiske Guide to Colleges also recently featured BSC as one of the 20 best-value colleges and universities in the U.S. in its 2019 edition.