Francis Marion University piles up multiple “bests” in USN&WR rankings

Francis Marion University has once again been recognized by U.S. News & World Report magazine as one of the top Regional Universities in the South.

The 2020 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the most venerable college rating websites in existence, is available online today. The information will also appear in the magazine’s print edition later this month.

FMU has been a regular member of the top-ranked Regional Universities category for two decades. 

FMU was  also recognized in five separate “best” categories — four of them for the first time — and saw two individual academic programs recognized among the nation’s best.

The special recognitions included Best College for Social Mobility, Best College for Veterans, Best Value College, Best Colleges for Campus Ethnic Diversity and Top Public Colleges.

FMU’s fast-growing Engineering department was recognized as one of the top engineering programs in the nation — a particularly distinctive accolade for so new a program. FMU begin its engineering program in 2014 with its industrial engineering major. Three classes of students in that area have graduated and moved into the engineering workforce. The  first students in the new mechanical engineering major will matriculate beginning in January.

FMU’s School of Business, long recognized for its entrepreneurial initiatives and the number of business leaders it produces, was also recognized as a top business school.

Dr. Fred Carter, president of Francis Marion, says the rankings validate FMU’s ongoing efforts to provide a superior education to its students.

 “We are proud to be recognized in so many areas,” says Carter. “It reflects the comprehensive nature of this university. But it’s not a surprise. The depth and breadth of our programs, taught by the finest faculties in the state, has grown steadily. We have a lot to offer the people of this state and region.”

 The U.S. News & World Report rankings are divided into categories. FMU is classified as a regional university, a school that provides a full range of undergraduate majors and graduate-level programs.

There are 605 institutions listed as regional universities, which is the largest of all the magazine’s categories. Each of the regional universities is ranked against peers in their geographic region. Only a portion of the universities in each region are rated as a “Best College.” Some are not ranked at all.

The speciality ranking areas include universities of all sizes and classifications in a single ranking.

U.S. News ranks colleges and universities in all its categories using data that reflects academic excellence, and various other aspects of university life.