ATHENS, TN – Tennessee Wesleyan University moved up one spot to #15 out of 132 Best Regional Colleges South according to a recent report by U.S. News & World Report. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. U.S. News & World Report released the 2024 Best Colleges rankings to the public, including Tennessee Wesleyan University’s rankings, on Monday. Tennessee Wesleyan is also the highest ranked Tennessee school on the list. Tennessee Wesleyan University earned multiple spots on the list of 2024 Best Colleges because of its high rankings. The rankings are based on in-depth analyses of a wide variety of data points, as explained in the Best Colleges methodology article. Among the areas that TWU ranked were: 

• • Overall Rank #15

• • Best Value #24
• • Social Mobility – Regional Colleges South #28 

 “We’re excited to continue climbing in the rankings provided by US U.S. News and World Report each year,” said Dr. Tyler Forrest, TWU President. “These rankings confirm our exceptional reputation for excellence and affordability in the Southeast United States.”

Much of TWU’s improvements were in areas that students and faculty deem important, for instance smaller class sizes. 80% of classes at TWU have fewer than 20 students, providing for much more submissive and engaging learning interactions. No TWU class has more than 50 students. The calculation used to determine TWU’s Best Value ranking considers the school’s academic quality, as indicated by its 2024 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, and the 2022-2023 net cost of attendance for an out-of-state student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.  

These rankings confirm our exceptional reputation for excellence and affordability in the Southeast United States.

– DR. TYLER FORREST

The report also revealed that Tennessee Wesleyan University has done well in the area of social mobility; ranking 28th among top performers. Social mobility is described as how well schools graduated economically disadvantaged students. However, the biggest jump occurred in its nursing program where TWU saw a 30% increase in the nationwide ranking compared to schools of all size and location.

These factors confirm that TWU is among the pre-eminent colleges and universities in the south.