Alderson Broaddus University received recognition as the highest-ranked West Virginia college or university in two different regional categories published in the U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings. The report compares higher learning institutions based on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

 

Alderson Broaddus ranked first among West Virginia colleges and 39th regionally in the 2020 Best Regional Colleges in the South category. 

The 372 regional colleges—including 168 public institutions, 191 private schools, and 13 for-profits—focus on undergraduate education but grant less than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The Regional Colleges category includes some institutions where only a small number of degrees awarded are at a bachelor’s level. Regional Colleges are placed into one of four geographic divisions, and AB falls within the South.

 

AB was the only West Virginia college named to the Best Value Schools 2020 Regional Colleges South category coming in with an overall ranking of 12. 

 

To determine which colleges and universities offer the best value for students, U.S. News takes into account both academic quality and cost. The rankings assess a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking, and the 2018-2019 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included because U.S. News considered the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.

 

“At AB, we are living out our mission,” said President Dr. Tim Barry. “Being ranked as one of the top schools in West Virginia by U.S. News & World Report is one indication, among many, that our commitment to the mission of AB is working. We take pride in providing the highest quality education to our students and preparing them to succeed in their chosen fields. Our number one focus is and will always be our students.”

 

Additionally, U.S. News has added a new ranking of Top Performers on Social Mobility to the 2020 report. Regionally, Alderson Broaddus ranked in the top 50 of all colleges and universities included in the Top Performers on Social Mobility report, coming in with an overall rank of 36. The social mobility ranking evaluates which higher education institutions best serve underrepresented students based on two ranking factors: Pell Grant graduation rate and Pell Grant graduation rate performance. 

 

“The latest rankings are indicative of our legacy of celebrating scholarship and community,” said Dr. Barry.  

 

About Alderson Broaddus University

 

Alderson Broaddus (AB) University is a private, four-year institution of higher education located on a historic hilltop in Barbour County in Philippi, West Virginia. Since its founding in 1871, AB has been a leader and innovator in higher education, with accolades in the health and natural sciences.

 

AB stands out as one of the most innovative health education providers in Appalachia, pioneering the nation’s first baccalaureate physician assistant program of its kind in 1968, the first post-baccalaureate physician assistant master’s degree program in 1990, and West Virginia’s first four-year nursing program in 1945.