Friday, September 07, 2001

WIMINGTON, N.C. – For the fourth consecutive year, UNC Wilmington is ranked among the top 10 public universities in the South. The college rankings are developed each year by U. S. News & World Report.

UNCW is in the “universities – master’s” category which in the past was called “regional universities.” The name of the category was changed to better reflect the schools’ missions as described by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which includes those that offer a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs with few, if any, doctoral programs. U.S. News ranks approximately 1,400 public and private universities and colleges across the country.

Among the public universities in the South, UNCW is ranked seventh behind James Madison University, The Citadel, Appalachian State University, College of Charleston, Murray State University and UNC Charlotte. A complete report of the rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com or in the newsstand book America’s Best Colleges and the Sept. 17 issue of U.S. News & World Report, both of which go on sale on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Among both public and private institutions in the South, UNCW was number 21 out of 130 institutions. The ranking system is based on seven categories: academic reputation (25 percent), graduation and student retention rates (25 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (15 percent), financial resources (10 percent) and alumni giving (5 percent).

UNCW’s reputation for academic excellence continues to improve as it becomes the university of choice for more and more high school students. Although fewer students applied and were accepted this year than last, the number who actually enrolled rose. This year’s enrollment totals 10,300 students. Among the 2,001 freshmen in this fall’s class, the average SAT score was 1097 and their average GPA was 3.49.