Published on August 22, 2003 by William Nunnelley  

Samford University again ranks as one of the top institutions in the South in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of America's Best Colleges.

Samford ranks fifth in the South in its category, Best Universities-Master's, which includes schools offering a full range of undergraduate and master's programs and some doctoral programs. Samford offers 26 degree programs, including 18 at the master's and doctoral levels.

U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on a school's academic reputation, freshman retention rates, faculty resources, class size, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

The rankings were announced Friday, Aug. 22. In addition to the Best Universities-Master's category, U.S. News & World Report ranks Best National Universities-Doctoral, Best Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's and Best Liberal Arts Colleges-Bachelor's. Schools are divided into groups reflecting their missions--basically, programs they offer--as described by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Best Universities-Master's category includes the largest number of schools (573) and is divided into four regions.

Samford has been ranked in the top 10 in its category by U.S. News & World Report since 1990.

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.