For the eleventh consecutive year, the University of North Carolina Wilmington ranks as one of the top 10 public master's universities in the South according to U.S.News & World Report. U.S.News also placed UNC Wilmington fifth on its list of "up-and-coming" master's universities in the South.
This year, for the first time, U.S.News asked the top college officials who respond to its annual peer assessment survey to identify schools that fit the profile of an up-and-coming institution. Their survey identified 70 colleges and universities that have recently made "the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities." UNC Wilmington was fifth on that list for the South, tied with James Madison University in Virginia and Union University in Tennessee.
UNCW ranks sixth among public master's universities in the South in the 2009 edition, which is also where the university was ranked in 2008. Among all 121 public and private universities in the South that provide a full range of undergraduate and master's level programs, the overall ranking of UNCW stayed steady at 14th.
The complete U.S.News & World Report rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the nation's 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities according to The Princeton Review, one of America's most widely-known education service companies.
The Princeton Review has teamed with USA TODAY, the nation's most widely-read newspaper, to present The Princeton Review's "Best Value" Colleges list for 2009. The "Best Value" colleges list features a total of 100 schools: 50 public and 50 private colleges and universities.
"It is indeed an honor for UNC Wilmington to be included on the list of the 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities," said Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo. "UNCW always has been committed to providing our students with the highest quality educational experience at the lowest possible cost. This has become even more critical given the financial pressures many families face in the current economic environment. It's important that we help make a college education accessible for as many North Carolina students as possible."
In a profile of UNC Wilmington on USA TODAY's Web site, the editors at The Princeton Review said, "A big school with a smaller school feel, UNCW boasts a solid faculty that excels at the upper levels and isn't afraid to show their passion for the subject at hand. Ambitious students should shoot for entry into the Honors Program, which opens up avenues of education and opportunities that are otherwise unavailable to the general college."
Regarding cost of attendance and financial aid at UNC Wilmington, The Princeton Review noted, "The UNC system boasts one of the lower in-state tuitions in the country, a real bargain when coupled with the relatively high quality of instruction throughout the system. UNCW offers both need- and merit-based aid, with the majority of funds allocated to the needy. Need-based aid comes in the form of federal work-study, institutional employment, scholarships, grants and loans. An upcoming fundraising campaign is designed to increase the number and value of merit scholarships."
The Princeton Review selected these institutions as its "best value" choices for 2009 based on its surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private colleges and universities. The selection criteria covered more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs of attendance, and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2007-08 academic year.
Said Robert Franek, Princeton Review VP-Publisher, "We have always believed finding the 'best fit' college should be the foremost goal for student applicants and their families. But the economic crisis and financial downturn have presented sobering challenges both to families struggling to afford college and to higher education institutions struggling to maintain their programs in the face of budget and funding shortfalls. We are pleased to partner with USA TODAY to present these schools for all they are doing to provide outstanding academics at a relatively low cost of attendance and/or generous financial aid."
Visitors to The Princeton Review's and USA TODAY's Web sites can access the complete lists of the 50 private and 50 public "best value colleges."
UNC Wilmington was named among the 2009 "Best in the Southeast" by The Princeton Review, making this the fifth consecutive year the university has been honored with this designation
Colleges were selected based upon student responses to a survey about their respective schools' academics, administration, campus life, and student body.
The Princeton Review is a New York City-based company known for its test prep courses, education services and books. It has conducted the survey since 1992, when it first published its annual "Best Colleges" -- the only guide offering college rankings based on students' ratings of their experiences with them.
Lists of top 20 colleges in more than 50 categories are in the The Princeton Review book, Best 366 Colleges and can be viewed at http://www.PrincetonReview.com.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the nation's 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities according to The Princeton Review, one of America's most widely-known education service companies.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the top 25 "Best Values" among public universities in the nation and one of the top three in North Carolina, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Kiplinger's ranks four-year schools that combine outstanding economic value with top-notch education. For 2008-09, UNCW is ranked 25th nationally as a "best value" for in-state students and 35th for out-of-state students. This is a significant improvement over last year's rankings, in which UNCW placed 36th in value for in-state students and 51st for out-of-state students.
In North Carolina, Kiplinger's ranks UNCW as the third best value in public education, behind only the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Kiplinger's has rated UNCW in the top 5 public universities in the state since 2003.
Of UNCW's 14 peer institutions, which are determined by the UNC Board of Governors, 10 appear in the 2008-09 listing of Kiplinger's top 100 best values in public colleges. The top four best values among UNCW's group, comprised of public master's institutions, are Truman State University, the College of New Jersey, UNCW and James Madison University. UNCW moved up one place among its peers from fourth last year.
Selected from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, schools in the Kiplinger 100 were ranked according to academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid. The complete list is available at www.kiplinger.com.
UNC Wilmington placed extremely well in the 2008 Forbes special report on America's best colleges. According to Forbes, UNCW ranks second among the public universities in North Carolina, behind only the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNCW also was rated second among its peer institutions, with only James Madison University ranking higher. Other universities on UNCW's peer institution list include the College of Charleston, the College of William and Mary, Murray State University, the College of New Jersey, Towson University and California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.
UNC Wilmington is included in Peterson's Competitive Colleges 2008: Top Colleges for Top Students. Of the 440 institutions highlighted, UNC Wilmington, UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and UNC Asheville are the only public institutions in North Carolina listed.
UNC Wilmington's Creative Writing Program was recently named as one of the "Five Top Innovative/Unique Programs in Creative Writing", in The Atlantic magazine's 2007 Fiction Issue.
The article highlighted top creative writing programs in the U.S. Categories included: "Five Highly-Selective Programs"; "Ten Top Graduate Programs in Creative Writing"; "Five Top Ph.D. Programs in Creative Writing"; "Five Top Low-Residency MFA Programs"; "Five Innovative/Unique Programs"; and "Five Top-Funded Programs".
The article can be read online in its entirety.
