Davis & Elkins College climbed 16 points within the Regional Colleges South category to maintain a prominent position in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking. In addition, D&E achieved the highest overall score of any higher education institution in West Virginia with a three-point gain over last year’s report.
The College is included in the Regional Colleges South category where 125 schools were assessed. D&E reached the No. 27 spot in its category, up from No. 43 last year. The College came in at No. 47 in Top performers on Social Mobility, a vault from the No. 76 spot last year, and at No. 28 in Best Value Schools. Overall, Davis & Elkins earned a score of 55 out of 100 possible points.
“This significant rise in D&E’s ranking is no surprise to anyone familiar with the high quality of education that is the hallmark of this institution,” stated Chris A. Wood, President of Davis & Elkins College. “Vaulting 16 spots in one category and 29 in another is an amazing affirmation of the continuing strides the College has experienced. Being ranked tops within the state and in the top quarter of all regional colleges in the southern U.S. brings more attention from prospective students who see in D&E both a transformational collegiate experience and a best value for their financial investment.”
Now in their 37th year, U.S. News & World Report assessed 1,466 U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality. U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings offer resources to provide a deeper insight for students and their parents in deciding which college or university may best fit their needs.
Performance on Social Mobility measures how successful a college is in enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The majority of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000. In the current academic year, 44% of D&E students received Pell Grants.
The calculation used to determine Best Value Schools takes into account a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its 2022 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, and the 2020-2021 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. At D&E, 64% of full-time undergraduates receive some form of need-based financial aid, and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $11,337. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.
