Huntingdon College
News Release
September 10, 2018
For more information, contact: Su Ofe, (334) 833-4515; news@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Huntingdon Shines in 2019 U.S. News Ranking
Montgomery, Ala.—With the release of the 2019 U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges ranking list, Huntingdon College has climbed two spots to number 11 among Regional Colleges-South, and is ranked sixth among Best Values in the region. With an overall score of 69, Huntingdon places third among colleges and universities in Alabama and in the top 16 percent of all four-year colleges and universities reported in the magazine.
U.S. News’ rankings evaluate colleges and universities on 16 measures of academic quality, allowing viewers to see at a glance the relative quality of U.S. institutions of higher learning. Other than subjective peer assessment and guidance counselor assessment scores, the rest of the data on which the ranking is based is hard, quantifiable, and objective. The most weight in the college’s score is given to outcomes (35%), including social mobility—new for the 2019 ranking—which factors the school’s success at graduating students who have the highest financial need, as judged by the student’s eligibility to receive a Pell Grant.
“Huntingdon continues to climb in the annual U.S. News ranking,” said Huntingdon President J. Cameron West. “We are thrilled that Huntingdon’s strengths and academic reputation are confirmed not just by those of us who are part of this great college, but also by data that compares us with colleges and universities across America.”
Of particular interest to West was the College’s ranking in the regional Best Values list. “Huntingdon is a living and learning community in which students enjoy equal access to the educationally enriching experiences the College provides,” said West. “To that end, we provide books and information resources, active learning in every major, a laptop computer, and travel-study opportunities for each full-time day student—all within the cost of regular tuition and fees. Since there is no category in which to report this information on the survey form sent out by the magazine, these measures don’t even factor into the Best Value ranking; and because we know of no other college or university that provides all of these experiences for every full-time student, Huntingdon is in a class by itself with regard to value.” Huntingdon is the only regional college from Alabama included on the Best Values list.
The annual ranking list places colleges and universities in 10 different categories as identified by the institution’s mission statement. The categories are Regional Colleges (North, South, Midwest, and West); Regional Universities (North, South, Midwest, and West); National Liberal Arts Colleges, and National Universities. Huntingdon’s alumni giving rate, at 28 percent, is higher than all but one other regional college or university.
Huntingdon College is an institution with a rich liberal arts tradition that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian heritage of the United Methodist Church. The College embraces the development and growth of its students in faith, wisdom, and service, providing a solid foundation that will enable them to respond to the needs of today’s complex world.
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Suellen (Su) Ofe
Vice President
for Marketing and Communications
Huntingdon College
1500 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery, AL 36106
(334) 833-4515; Cell (334) 324-6591
