WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Sept. 14, 2016 — West Liberty University is ranked at the fifth spot in the Top Public Schools in Regional Colleges in the South in the 2017 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges, released Tuesday.
“We are pleased that our efforts are being recognized and look forward to more positive things in the future. Our students continue to excel and we are working hard to provide the best education available in a small, personal college setting,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president. “This is indicative of the high quality of education available at all colleges and universities in the Northern Panhandle.”
The U.S. News rankings, now in their 32nd year, look at colleges and universities across the nation and rank them according to established criteria and an annual U.S. News statistical report survey, completed by most colleges.
U.S. News breaks its rankings into four categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges, then further delineates by regions. According to the U.S. News rating system, WLU is grouped with Regional Colleges, South.
WLU ranked at the 28th spot in this listing, which includes both public and private schools, which reflects a jump of 32 places from last fall. U.S. News publishes separate rankings of the Top Public Schools in each category which brings WLU into the fifth spot.
The 334 institutions in the regional college category focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts (which account for fewer than half of bachelor’s degrees granted) and in fields such as business, nursing and education.
West Liberty University is a public university steeped in rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education and offers nearly 70 undergraduate majors and 30 programs.
Graduate programs include the Master of Arts in Education, Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Professional Studies, Master of Science in Criminology and online MBA degrees. WLU also offers several degree completion programs for non-traditional students, including its accelerated Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Administration (BLA) degree.
WLU is a member of the NCAA and MEC and has a wide range of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division II level, including its nationally-ranked men’s basketball team that has won more games and scored more points than any other NCAA DII program over the past decade.
For more information, please visit westliberty.edu or call 1.866.WESTLIB.