Students with Lee’s mascot, Valor the Viking, celebrating the new rankings. From left, Rachel Hurd, from Knoxville; David Williams, Wiesbaden, Germany; Cassidy Kennemore, South Pittsburg; Valor the Viking; Ky’anna Arthurton, Athens, Ga.; Merritt Vance, Cartersville, Ga.; Kinnady Newton, Chatsworth, Ga.; and Braden Smith, Calhoun, Ga.
photo by Will Wilson
Lee University has been ranked once again in the upper tier of Southern universities in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges.
This year Lee ranked #27, moving up six spots from last year, within the top 50 “Best Regional Universities – South” category, which includes both public and private universities. The ranked schools are evaluated in up to 15 areas related to academic excellence such as graduation rate, peer-assessment, freshman retention rate, student-faculty ratio, and acceptance rate.
“To have risen six spots to break into the top 30 brings a great sense of accomplishment to our mission at Lee,” said Lee President Dr. Mark Walker. “Such achievement doesn’t happen without the dedicated work of the entire Lee family and the favor of God.”
In addition to the main ranking, Lee reappears in three specialty rankings. These include “A+ Schools for B Students,” the “Best Value Schools” listing, and “Best Colleges for Veterans.”
To judge the level of quality at each of the schools on the “A-plus Schools for B Students” list, U.S. News first examined two variables: the school’s performance in the 2022 edition of the Best Colleges rankings and the average freshman retention rate. Schools had to bring an average of 75 percent of their freshmen back the following fall, as well as admit a significant proportion of students who were not straight A students in high school.
To determine which colleges met the “Best Value Schools” criteria, academic quality and cost were both considered. School rankings were determined by the ratio of school’s quality to price, the percentage of need-based students who received scholarships and grants, and the percentage of the school costs, such as room and board, fees, and books that were covered by the average need-based scholarship or grant.
The “Best Colleges for Veterans” ranking is awarded to schools that reported on their enrollment of and benefits for veterans and active-duty service members as part of the U.S. News’ annual statistical survey of undergraduate schools. These rankings only include schools in the 2022-edition of the U.S. News rankings that meet the criteria.
U.S. News has been ranking colleges for 37 years and continues to be a closely watched college ranking. The magazine reviewed over 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide for the 2022 annual issue.
For more information and a list of rankings, visit usnews.com/colleges.