Limestone University Receives High Marks In 2022 "U.S. News & World Report" Rankings

The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are out for 2022 and Limestone University received high marks in two separate categories.

Limestone is one of only five private institutions from South Carolina ranked in the Top 60 in the grouping of Best Regional Colleges In The South. The Gaffney-based institution was one of only six private schools from the Palmetto State ranked in the Top 50 for Top Performers on Social Mobility.

Limestone is ranked No.53 on the category of Best Regional Colleges In the South, joining Claflin University, Erskine College, Newberry College, and Voorhees College in the Top 60. For Top Performers on Social Mobility, No.44 Limestone is joined by Benedict College, Claflin, Morris College, Newberry, and Voorhees in the Top 50.

The Best Regional Colleges ranking highlights institutions that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

For the Top Performers on Social Mobility rankings, U.S. News & World Report noted that economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics. But some institutions are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.

Both all of its rankings this year, U.S. News & World Report assessed 1,466 United States bachelor's degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality. Some of the ranking indicators include student-faculty ratio, average federal loan debt of graduates, academic majors offered, application requirements, tuition, financial aid policies, student body demographics, campus life, and post-graduate earnings data by undergraduate focus.

“Our highest priority remains to provide the very best education possible to our students,” said Limestone President Dr. Darrell Parker. “To be included with just a handful of private institutions from South Carolina to make these two highly-respected lists speaks to the commitment of our faculty and staff and to the quality of students we are attracting to study at Limestone. We are extremely proud that our affordability, commitment to teaching, and opportunities for low-income students are being recognized as some of the best in our region.”

ONLINE PROGRAM RANKINGS:

In January of this year, U.S. News & World Report released its list of online rankings for bachelor’s and Master of Business Administration degree programs, and Limestone ranked ahead of many private institutions and well-known large public schools in South Carolina.

In the online bachelor’s degree program national rankings, Limestone was listed at No. 6 in South Carolina and No. 3 among private institutions in the state. In the national rankings, Limestone came in at No. 179, which placed the Gaffney-based University ahead of other privates in the Palmetto State, including Columbia College (No. 197), North Greenville University (tie No. 246), and Coker University (tie No. 256). Limestone also scored higher nationally than some well-known public institutions in South Carolina, including Coastal Carolina University (tie No. 246), USC-Beaufort (tie No. 256), and S.C. State University (unranked). The highest nationally-ranked school from the state was the Medical University of South Carolina at No. 10.

In the U.S. News & World Report category for online Master of Business Administration degree programs, Limestone ranked No. 4 in the Palmetto State, and No. 3 among private institutions in South Carolina. On the national level, Limestone ranked No. 180, which was higher than large public institutions in South Carolina such as Coastal Carolina University (tie No. 224), Winthrop University (tie No. 224), and Clemson University (unranked). The highest ranked online MBA program in South Carolina was The Citadel at No. 88.