For the third straight year, Belmont was selected as No. 7 on the U.S. News & World annual rankings of the Top 10 best colleges in the regional universities- South category.
This is the fifth consecutive year that the university has received a Top 10 ranking in that category. Belmont also was named No. 2 in the southern region of the “Up-and-Comer” category because the university made “the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities.” That was the sixth straight year Belmont received a Top 1o ranking in this category as well.
“While there are lots of rankings out there, the U.S. News process is probably the most relevant to us since it features several measures of quality that are important to Belmont including retention rate, graduation rate, the academic preparation of incoming students and the level of commitment of resources to teaching and learning,” said university President Bob Fisher in a statement.
Belmont was praised by peers for an “unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching,” earning a second place nod in that sub-category too.
Of the 124 institutions in Tennessee, Belmont is the highest ranking in the best regional universities South category. The next highest on the list was Union University at No. 13.
Down-the-road rival, Lipscomb University rounded out the Top 20.
Above Belmont on the South region category, Elon University in North Carolina held its No. 1 position followed by Rollins College, Samford University, The Citadel, old Atlantic Sun foe Stetson University and James Madison University. Mercer University was the second member of Belmont’s previous conference affiliation that made the Top 10 with the eighth spot.