Rankings & Distinctions

How does Randolph College measure up?

• Randolph ranks higher than the national average for “student-faculty interaction” according to the National Survey of Student Engagement and has been designated by Newsweek magazine as having the “most accessible” professors in the country and by College Values Online has being one of the “50 Small Colleges with the Best Professors.”
• In its Best 382 Colleges 2018 Edition, the Princeton Review included Randolph College in its list of “Top 50 Green Colleges” (#16), “Top 20 Best Health Services,” and “Top 20 Most Accessible Professors.”
• Randolph was included in the prestigious Fiske Guide to Colleges 2018 and Money magazine’s Best Colleges.
• Randolph appeared on several online lists, including:
  • Best Value Schools: One of the “30 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the South” and a top college for “Return on Investment” (#22)
  • College Values Online: One of the “50 Small Colleges with the Best Professors.”
  • Niche: One of the “Best Small Colleges in Virginia”

Here is a sampling of earlier distinctions:

• The Princeton Review listed Randolph in The Best 381 Colleges 2017 Edition and named the College as a “Best College in the Southeast” and a “Top Fifty” college (#46).
• College Values Online ranked Randolph’s faculty in the Top 50 among small colleges.
• Randolph was included in the prestigious Fiske Guide to Colleges 2017 and appeared on several other 2017 lists as well:
  • “Best Colleges for the Money” (#5 out of 36 in Virginia, CollegeFactual.com),
  • “Cool Schools” (Sierra Club),
  • “Best Student Centers in the Nation” (#10, Edsmart),
  • “Best Business Programs” (Colleges of Distinction),
  • “Best Education Programs” (Colleges of Distinction),
  • “Best Colleges in Virginia” (College Choice),
  • “Best Learning Environment in Virginia” (Learn How to Become), and
  • “Most Affordable Schools for Incoming Freshmen with Financial Need” (LENDedu).
• Randolph was ranked #20  in the nation for “Professors get High Marks” by the Princeton Review (2015 edition).
• Randolph was ranked #13 in the nation for “Best Professors” by CBSnews.com (2013)
• Randolph was ranked #1 in the nation for “Most Accessible Professors” by Newsweek (2011)
• Randolph was ranked #11 in the nation and #1 in Virginia for “Best Colleges for the Money” (2015) by College Factual.
• Randolph ranked #3 in the nation for “Best Colleges for Clubs and Activities” by Cappex.
• Randolph was ranked #7 on Best College Values’ list of the “Most Amazing” student centers in the nation.
• Randolph was ranked #10 on EdSmart’s list of the “51 Most Phenomenal Student Unions”
• Randolph College has once again been ranked as one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education by the Princeton Review in the new 2017 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 381 Colleges.
• Randolph was named one of the Top 50 “Green” colleges in the nation by Princeton Review in it’s 2015 Guide to Green Schools.
• Randolph was named a “Cool School” by Sierra magazine for its outstanding sustainability practices.
• The Princeton Review also named Randolph one of the best colleges in the southeast.
• The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2017 included Randolph as one of the top schools in the nation.
• US News & World Report ranks Randolph in the top tier of liberal arts colleges in the United States.
• Forbes has named Randolph College as one of America’s Top Colleges. Read the Forbes profile of Randolph.
• Washington Monthly recognized Randolph as one of the top liberal arts schools in the nation in its Public Good Rankings. (2014) The publication rates schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories:
  • Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students),
  • Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and
  • Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country.
• Randolph College has been named a 2014-2015 College of Distinction, one of only 10 colleges and universities in Virginia to be granted that honor.
• Randolph College is one of only 283 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious academic honor society in the United States.