Reading Between the Numbers

_{Longwood has hired additional full-time faculty to keep classes small.}

There is plenty to make the Longwood community feel proud in the latest college rankings, including those by The Princeton Review and by U.S. News & World Report, where Longwood’s growing reputation resulted in a notable jump to the No. 6 spot among the Best Public Universities, South Region. In addition, a national ranking of nursing programs put Longwood’s BSN program in the No. 1 spot for Virginia and among the best in the country. Here are the details.

In the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings:

• Longwood ranks No. 6 among the Best Public Universities, South Region, moving up two spots from last year. This continues a steady climb from Longwood’s No. 12 spot in 2013.
• Longwood has moved ahead of several well-respected institutions, including Converse College and the University of Mary Washington.
• In the South, Longwood is recognized as the “Best Value” among Virginia public universities.

In the annual The Princeton Review guide:

• Longwood was named one of the top regional universities in the U.S.
• This honor goes to only 13 percent of four-year colleges and universities in the country. In the national ranking of nursing programs by RNCareers.org:
• Longwood ranks No. 1 in Virginia and among the best in the country. This achievement is thanks to Longwood’s 100 percent licensure pass rate for the last three years—an accomplishment few other schools in the country can claim.

“Rankings can fluctuate year to year, and they aren’t the focus of our goals at Longwood. But when an institution rises over time, it’s because of a rise in underlying numbers that do matter,” said President W. Taylor Reveley. “Those include survey results on how others view our academic reputation, our success in helping students graduate and continuing to add full-time faculty to keep classes small at a time when most institutions are doing the opposite. All those things count in the formula but they aren’t just numbers—they shape the college experiences and lives of our students.”

U.S. News’ recognition of the value students get at Longwood was especially gratifying, Reveley said. The Best Value ranking system compares overall ranking with total cost, factoring in the amount of need-based aid and the average discount given. Longwood is the only public university in the South Region ranked in that category this year.

“I’m especially proud to see the excellent value of a Longwood education recognized,” Reveley said. “We know that our work in recent years to have among the very lowest annual tuition increases in the state—including a freeze this year— makes a real difference to students and families.”

The Princeton Review’s rankings are based on surveys of more than 140,000 students across the country, but also take into account standard metrics including affordability, selectivity and financial aid availability.