Improving Business in the Wilmington Region

UNCW gains in regional college rankings

The school is 14th in the Best Regional Universities South Rankings, up from 16th last year.

WILMINGTON — The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) climbed in this year’s U.S. News & World Report college rankings, released Tuesday.

UNCW is 14th out of 149 schools in the report’s Best Regional Universities South Rankings, up from 16th last year. The school was also ranked 6th among the region’s best public universities and ninth among the South’s best universities for veterans. Rankings claim it’s the 59th best value school in the South, and the Cameron School of Business tied for 183rd place in business programs across the nation.

Regional universities are ranked separately from national universities (such as Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill) which are distinguished from regional universities by a full range of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs and significant capacity for research, and national liberal arts colleges (like Davidson), which emphasize undergraduate work.

In a news release, UNCW officials noted the campus is nearing 16,500 students for the first time — a 2,000-student increase since 2014.

“Since our institution’s founding in 1947, UNCW has placed a premium on the quality of our teaching, research and community engagement,” the release quoted Chancellor Jose Sartarelli. “We’re a student-centered campus that emphasizes applied learning and leadership experiences, and our success in preparing UNCW graduates to excel in a competitive, global economy is reflected in these rankings and our continued growth.”

Reporter Cammie Bellamy can be reached at 910-343-2339 or Cammie.Bellamy@StarNewsOnline.com.