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National Rankings

How does Randolph College measure up?

To get an unbiased opinion and see how Randolph compares to other colleges and universities, take a look at some of our recent national rankings:

  • Forbes Best Buy Forbes Best College Buys - Randolph College was the only private college in Virginia named a Best College Buy in the latest rankings from Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CACP). Randolph College also earned a spot in Forbes America’s Best 600 Colleges list, the Best Liberal Arts Colleges list, and the Best Colleges in the South list.
  • National Survey of Student Engagement The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) surveys undergraduates at four-year colleges and universities to assess the extent to which they engage in a variety of good educational practices. Randolph scored consistently and substantially higher than both the national average and the majority of liberal arts schools nationwide.
  • Colleges of Distinction, which honors a select group of colleges and universities, cited us for excelling in four areas: "Engaged Students," "Great Teaching," "Vibrant Communities," and "Successful Outcomes."
  • Fiske Guide to Colleges The Fiske Guide to Colleges, 2010 edition, gave the College high praise for the rigor of its academic programs, naming it one of the nation's "best and most interesting" colleges. Randolph is one of just 12 Virginia colleges and 330 nationwide to be recognized. The Fiske profile touts Randolph’s strong academic programs, faculty/student relationships, close community, and international focus.
  • Princeton Review: The Best 371 Colleges The Princeton Review's Best 371 Colleges 2010 edition, named Randolph a "Best Southeast College" and lauded the College's outstanding academics. The diversity of our student body also earned praise as Randolph ranked 12th among all colleges in having a high level of interaction between students of different races and classes. "Admitting highly qualified and well-matched students is a top priority at Randolph," the authors said, adding that "Randolph is looking for independent, confident students who place a premium on their educations."
  • US News: America's Best Colleges U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges 2010 edition, ranked us 118 out of 266 national liberal arts colleges in the country, placing us in Tier One of their rankings. Randolph was also recognized for the diversity of our student body and our global focus, ranking 7th among those colleges in the percentage of international students on campus.
  • Seventeen magazine recently named us as the 5th best small college in the nation.
  • The latest edition of Barron's Best Buys in Education placed us in the top 10% of colleges and universities nationwide, based on faculty attention to students, inspiring programs, and opportunities for personal and professional development.

Randolph College also shines in other ways...

  • Randolph is a member of the International 50 , a select group of the top 50 U.S. colleges and universities recognized for international programs and global awareness.
  • Randolph College is one of only 276 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious academic honor society in the United States.
  • R-MWC was the first women's college in the south to be granted a Phi Beta Kappa charter and the first to be accredited by the American Chemical Society and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • NAFSA : Association of International Educators selected Randolph as one of only 16 institutions nationwide to be honored for exemplary work in internationalizing the campus. The selection committee drew particular attention to the pervasiveness of global education on our small campus, calling it "a model for other campuses."

National recognition is nothing new to us...

  • Randolph ranks in the top 10 percent of baccalaureate-granting institutions nationwide in the percentage of students who go on to earn a Ph.D. In Virginia, we top all private colleges and all public institutions except the College of William and Mary.
  • Over the past eight years, the medical school acceptance rate of our graduates has been nearly 29 percent higher than the national average.
  • We have consistently ranked in the top 1 percent nationwide of alumnae percentage of participation in giving, placing the College in the top 30 institutions nationwide.
  • 68 percent of our alumnae attend graduate school within five years of graduation.