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VWU Ranked 19th Nationally in Ethnic Diversity by U.S. News
Virginia Wesleyan has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in two categories
University News | September 10, 2018
Virginia Wesleyan University has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in two categories of its 2019 Best Colleges rankings, released Sept. 10. Virginia Wesleyan is ranked 19th in “Ethnic Diversity” among National Liberal Arts Colleges and is featured among U.S. News’ 229 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges.”
To identify colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from a different ethnic group from their own, U.S. News factored in the proportion of minority students—leaving out international students—and the overall mix of groups in each institution’s 2017-2018 academic year student body. The categories used in the calculations are African-American (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, White (non-Hispanic), and multiracial (two or more races). The largest ethnic group at Virginia Wesleyan is African-American, representing 26 percent of the University’s student population.
“We are proud to hold this designation, as it represents the diverse, global community in which our University is located,” says Virginia Wesleyan University President Scott D. Miller. “We are a welcoming, inclusive campus with an outstanding, nationally prominent academic reputation—and we take pride in fostering the kinds of values and traditions that make our students proud to have chosen us for their career and life success.”
Pacific Union College is top-rated in the “Ethnic Diversity” category, and rounding out the top 10 are Soka University of America, Agnes Scott College, Harvey Mudd College, Pine Manor College, Pomona College, Wellesley College, Swarthmore College, Amherst College, and Austin College. The top 20 include Fort Lewis College, Whittier College, Occidental College, Bryn Mawr College, Claremont McKenna College, Oglethorpe University, Pitzer College, Purchase College-SUNY, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Wesleyan College.
U.S. News also classifies Virginia Wesleyan University among its 229 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges.” Methodology for these rankings focuses on academic excellence, with schools evaluated on hundreds of data points and up to 15 measures of academic quality. Overall, the rankings emphasize student outcomes—such as graduation and freshman retention rates—which carry the most weight at 30 percent. The top National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges have significantly higher graduation and freshman retention rates than other schools.
U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings help prospective students and their families research more than 1,800 U.S.-based universities.