THIBODAUX, La. — For the third year in a row, Nicholls State University has been named one of the top universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report in their Best Colleges 2020 rankings.
Nicholls ranks 38th among public regional universities in the South – the best in the state – and 84th among southern regional universities including private schools – third-best in the state. Last year, Nicholls ranked No. 41 and No. 100, respectively.
“This is a direct reflection of the commitment our faculty and staff make every day to recruit, educate and graduate a better student for the Bayou Region,” said Dr. Jay Clune, Nicholls president.
U.S. News & World Report defines a regional university as one that offers many undergraduate degrees, some master’s degrees but few doctoral programs. A public university is one that operates under the supervision of a state government and is funded in part by tax dollars.
To calculate each school’s ranking, U.S. News & World Report studied graduation rates, retention rates, social mobility, academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving rate.
After the data is analyzed, each school is then broken up into national universities and regional universities, and the top 75 percent in each category is published.
Among the new rankings this year, Nicholls ranked No. 103 in social mobility among regional universities in the South and fourth among public universities in the state. Social mobility is calculated by comparing each university’s Pell Grant recipient graduation rates with the graduation rates of their peers.
U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 30 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
