Lipscomb jumps eight spots, ranked 23rd by U.S. News
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Lipscomb University ranks 23rd among master's degree institutions in the South, according to U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges," which is to appear on newstands Monday.
Lipscomb jumped eight places from last year's 31st ranking, showing improved scores in seven of the 12 criteria considered in the U.S. News methodology.
"It is certainly gratifying when publications such as U.S. News recognize the ongoing improvement that characterizes our premier academic program," said G. David England, assistant vice president for marketing and public relations.
He said that rankings such as those produced by U.S. News can be valuable for prospective students, particularly when used to develop questions to be asked in the enrollment process rather than as an overall assessment of institutional effectiveness.
"Those questions can lead students to more significant measures of quality -- such as how well our students say they are prepared for their internships, how well our alumni say they were prepared for their chosen careers and the impact of our spiritual emphasis on their preparation for the challenges of life," England said.
Lipscomb showed improvements in overall score, freshman retention rate, average graduation rate, 25th and 75th percentile scores on the ACT among incoming freshmen, percentage of incoming freshmen in the top 10 percent of their high school graduation classes, acceptance rate, and alumni giving.
Future improvements could result as the university implements a strategic plan that has been two years in the making, England said.
Other universities of interest and their rankings: nearby Belmont University, 21st; Harding University, 26th; Freed-Hardeman University, second tier. Other Tennessee schools in the top tier include Christian Brothers University, 28th, and Union University, 32nd. Abilene Christian University is 21st on the West region list.