UNC Wilmington Named a Top 5 Public Master’s University in the South by U.S. News

Wilmington, N.C. – The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the top 5 public master’s universities in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report. UNCW has been ranked in the top 10 of the elite listing for the last 13 years. This follows on the heels of UNCW’s ranking by Forbes yesterday as one of the top 20 “Best Buy” universities in the nation.

“Every day, our administrators, faculty and staff make decisions and allocate resources based on what is best for our students and what will most enhance their educational experience,” said Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo. “Academic quality is our first priority, even in a difficult economy; I am pleased that UNCW’s commitment to our students has resulted in three distinctions from U.S. News.”

First, UNCW has received its highest regional ranking ever. It is listed at number 5 among public master’s institutions in the South in the 2011 edition, up from the 6th position it held for the previous two years. Second, among all 118 public and private universities in the South that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs, UNCW is ranked 13th.

And third, UNCW is once again included on the U.S. News list of “up-and-coming” master’s universities in the South. Ranked at number 5 in the region, this puts UNCW in the company of 68 colleges and universities nationally that U.S. News identified as making the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities. That list is compiled based on peer assessments from senior administrators at universities across the country.

UNC Wilmington is a university of first choice for a growing number of high-achieving high school students. For fall 2010, entering freshmen came to UNCW from 91 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, 41 states and 20 nations. The Class of 2014, with about 1990 students, has an estimated average SAT score of 1170 and an estimated average high school GPA of 3.80 (final statistics are still being calculated).

The complete U.S. News & World Report rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com/colleges or in the September issue of U.S. News and World Report, available for newsstand sale August 31.