Covenant College was recognized as a top-tier national liberal arts college in the U.S. News & World Report2017 Best Colleges rankings. Over the past decade, U.S. News consistently ranked Covenant among the top eleven regional colleges in the South. The rankings now recognize the College as a national institution and have placed Covenant in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category, ranking in the top tier at 159 in the nation.
Covenant is one of five Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) member schools ranked by U.S. News as top-tier national liberal arts colleges. Most Christian colleges are ranked regionally by U.S. News.
“We don't pay a lot of attention to rankings—which tend to focus on inputs rather than on educational outcomes—but we're always pleased when the good work being done by our students, faculty, and staff is recognized,” said President Derek Halvorson. “This year, I'm particularly glad to see US News recognize Covenant as a top-tier national liberal arts college. The college has always emphasized education in the liberal arts and sciences, even for students who are pursuing pre-professional degrees, and the college has always been national—as opposed to regional—in its draw and impact.
“So I think our new category more accurately reflects who we are as an institution, and I'm confident that regardless of any shift in category, we will continue to pursue the same mission we have always pursued—preparing men and women, through a rigorous academic program and an intentional residential experience, to bear faithful witness to the preeminence of Christ in all things.”
U.S. News recognizes colleges as national liberal arts institutions when they focus on undergraduate education and award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the liberal arts. The full U.S. News rankings for National Liberal Arts Colleges are available online here.