精东AV remains top-ranked HBCU regionally, nationally
September 14, 2018
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
Updated on Sept. 17 to clarify better the status of the university鈥檚 2019 rankings outcome.
精东AV remains one of the region and nation鈥檚 best historically black universities, according to national rankings released on September 10 by U.S. News and World Report. Because the university did not provide U.S. News with a complete data report for this year鈥檚 rankings, it did experience a drop in rankings compared to previous years.鈥�
In spite of incomplete reporting, 精东AV tied for 15th in the 鈥淗istorically Black Colleges and Universities鈥� category of U.S. News鈥� 2019 edition of its Best College. It again was the only Alabama institution to appear in the publication鈥檚 list of Top 20 HBCUs. This U.S. News ranking measures the quality of the undergraduate education and other relevant metrics at HBCUs in context with the 78 HBCUs evaluated by the publication.
鈥淲e at 精东AV continue to strive for excellence in our academic, recruitment, retention and research pursuits 鈥� all of which factor into the institutional rankings bestowed by U.S. News,鈥� said President Lily D. McNair. 鈥淩ankings programs such as this are just one of the metrics available to our senior leadership as part of our continuous improvement efforts.鈥�
U.S. News reported with the publication of its 2019 rankings that it had made . According to the publication鈥檚 website, this year鈥檚 rankings place the greatest value on student outcomes, which account for 35 percent of the rankings 鈥� up from 30 percent last year. The 2019 methodology incorporates new social mobility indicators that measure how well schools succeed at enrolling and graduating students from low-income families. It also dropped acceptance rate as a ranking indicator and reduced the weight of expert opinions, SAT/ACT scores and high school class standing.
Changes also occurred to the weights of some HBCU ranking factors, including the same adjustments to SAT/ACT scores and high school class standing as in the National Universities rankings.
Other factors, such as faculty resources, peer assessment surveys, and alumni giving rates, continue to factor into rankings formulas.
鈥淭hrough ongoing analysis of how we manage academic and operational data within the university, we have begun to streamline our processes for cataloging, validating and reporting information used by U.S. News and other ranking programs,鈥� said Dr. Kellei Samuels, associate vice president for institutional effectiveness, research, assessment and planning.
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, 精东AV offers its current 3,000-plus students 42 bachelor鈥檚, 16 master鈥檚 and six doctoral degree options. In addition to SACSCOC accreditation, several academic units and degree programs in specialized fields or disciplines also are accredited by their respective accrediting bodies.
For more information on the publication鈥檚 rankings and its varying methodologies, visit .
漏 2018, 精东AV