Denmark, S.C. – Voorhees University tied for #26 in the 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) ranking released Sept. 12, improving its position from #46 last year. Voorhees tied with four other HBCUs, including Johnson C. Smith and Prairie View A&M universities. It also ranked the second-best HBCU in South Carolina and #13 among the best private HBCUs nationally, which was an improvement from #18 last year.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the ranking measures the quality of the undergraduate education at HBCUs. The 76 institutions ranked were compared only with one another.
“We know that there is excellence among us, and this ranking is a testament to that excellence,” said Ronnie Hopkins, president of Voorhees University. “Since the ranking measures the quality of the undergraduate educational experience, I am elated that our faculty are among the best in the nation in providing an exceptional teaching and learning experience for our students. I also applaud the staff who support them in that effort. We are moving our institution to the next level of excellence.”
Statistical indicators used in the HBCU ranking are nearly the same as those used in the 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings for schools in the Regional Universities and Regional Colleges categories, but with different weights. Voorhees tied for #33 with the University of Tennessee Southern in the best Regional Colleges South category this year, improving from a tied position of #48 with the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, last year. In this category, Voorhees ranked #1 for best value and #3 for social mobility—which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
Criteria used for the ranking include but are not limited to peer assessment, average first-year retention rate, graduation rate, class size, student-to-faculty ratio, and SAT/ACT scores.
According to U.S. News, a school must currently be listed as part of the White House and U.S. Department of Education’s Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunities through HBCUs to be included in the U.S. News HBCU ranking.
