Rising one spot from its previous year’s ranking, Samford University in Birmingham claimed the No. 3 spot in the “Regional University South” category of U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Colleges rankings.
The annual rankings, which cover a variety of categories, were released Sept. 10.
Only two other schools — Elon University in North Carolina and Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., were ranked higher than Samford in the “Regional University South” category.
“This is a great milestone for Samford University, and many people have worked to make this possible,” said Samford President Andrew Westmoreland.
“We continually assess our standing compared with our peers, but we always believe that the best measure of our success is in the academic and career accomplishments of our students, faculty and alumni,” he said.
The university also received high marks in several special categories related to the 2014 rankings: it tied for fourth among the eight schools ranked in the South for “A Strong Commitment to Teaching,” ranked 11th in the South on the “Best Value Schools” list and was one of 25 schools in the South to be named an “A+ School for B Students.”
Among other Alabama schools ranked in the “Regional University South” category, Spring Hill College in Mobile ranked 16th, University of Montevallo ranked 36th, University of North Alabama in Florence and Troy University both ranked 80th and Auburn University–Montgomery ranked 84th.
Like Samford, the University of Mobile (UMobile) also raised a spot from its previous year’s U.S. News & World Report ranking, receiving the No. 27 spot in the “Regional College South” category.
“We are pleased to be recognized among the Best Regional Colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report,”
said UMobile President Mark Foley.
“The 2014 rankings mark the third consecutive year that the University of Mobile has risen in the poll. Our integration of learning, faith and leadership into all aspects of academics and campus life results in a quality Christian higher education that continues to receive national attention.”
Other Alabama schools ranking in the top 50 in the “Regional College South” category were Tuskegee University (13th), Huntingdon College in Montgomery (26th) and Faulkner University in Montgomery and Oakwood University in Huntsville (48th).
The University of Alabama and Auburn University ranked No. 86 and No. 91 respectively in
the “National Universities” category.
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