Claflin Ranked a "Top 10 HBCU" and "Top 10 Best Regional College in the South" by U.S. News and World Report
Sep 21, 2020
Claflin University's rigorous, student-focused academic programs and a faculty comprised of world-class scholars contributed to U.S. News and World Report ranking Claflin ninth in its 2021 list of the nation's top historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs). Claflin has earned a place among the Top 10 HBCUs in the publication's prestigious ranking for 10 consecutive years.
U.S. News and World Report also ranked Claflin University ninth overall among the schools in the Best Regional Colleges in the South rankings. These are institutions that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Regional Colleges rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.
"Claflin's rankings by U.S. News and World Report affirms the University's emergence as one of the nation's premier institutions of higher education," said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, president of Claflin University. "We are gratified by the national attention the University receives from this coveted ranking. However, our goal is to be consistently recognized as one of the nation's best institutions among all colleges and universities."
HBCUs listed in U.S. News and World Report are compared only with each other for these rankings. In order to be on the list, a school must be currently designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an HBCU. To qualify for U.S. News rankings, an HBCU also must be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and must be a school that is part of the 2021 Best Colleges rankings.
In total, 79 HBCUs were eligible to be included on the list; 77 of those were ranked and two were unranked. Among the 77 ranked HBCUs, schools that place in the top three-fourths display their individual ranks. The remaining ranked schools display the bottom quartile numerical ranking range and are listed alphabetically.
As a part of the Best Regional Colleges in the South ranking, Claflin University is also listed as number 14 in the category of Top Performers on Social Mobility. Claflin was ranked due to its success in advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. Most of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.
Founded in 1869, Claflin's proud legacy of academic excellence and for producing globally-engaged visionary leaders spans more than 150 years. Claflin is South Carolina's oldest HBCU and the state's first institution of higher education to provide educational opportunities to all students regardless of gender, race, religion, or ethnic origin.
Claflin University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate and master's degrees. The University is also listed by the University Senate General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.
Specific programs at the University are also accredited or approved by the following bodies:
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
- South Carolina State Board of Education
- Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)