USC Aiken
USC Aiken #1, Again
Aiken, SC (09/10/2018) — The University of South Carolina Aiken is once again ranked as the #1 Regional Public College in the South by U.S. News and World Report.
The 2019 ranking marks the 14th time at #1 and the 21st time USC Aiken has been ranked among the top three best public universities.
"Choosing where to go to college is one of the biggest decisions and investments a person can make," said Dr. Sandra Jordan, chancellor.
"This ranking helps give students and families insight to make an informed decision when selecting USC Aiken."
U.S. News and World Report determines the rankings by comparing a set of metrics and benchmarks across institutions in their educational sector. USC Aiken is a public comprehensive university, one that offers bachelor's and master's degrees, whose mission includes serving a specific region. As part of the rankings, the university is measured against more than 500 other public comprehensive universities throughout the Southern states.
Colleges and universities are evaluated on 16 distinct measures of academic quality including: first-year retention rates, graduation rates, the preparation and strength of the faculty, and the reputation of the university among other universities. New to the evaluation this year is social mobility.
"Factored into this year's score was USC Aiken's ability to help students obtain greater upward social mobility and thus, future ability to become more financially stable," Jordan said.
"In other words, the new metric tries to measure the effectiveness of the institution to transform lives through a quality education.
"Education does transform lives, and USC Aiken can be proud of all we do to provide an excellent education and committed support to our students."
Other measures that go into the score are those associated with providing faculty resources and maintaining smaller class sizes. According to U.S. News, "research shows the greater access students have to quality instructors, the more engaged they will be in class and the more they will learn and likely graduate."
"Proudly, USC Aiken boasts a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio across the campus," Jordan said.
The rankings were announced Sept. 10, on the anniversary of USC Aiken's inception.
"I can't think of a more apt way to celebrate the university's 57th birthday," the chancellor said.
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The University of South Carolina Aiken is once again ranked as the #1 Regional Public College in the South by U.S. News and World Report. The 2019 ranking marks the 14th time at #1 and the 21st time USC Aiken has been ranked among the top three best public universities.
USC Aiken
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