Flagler College ranks 11th in the South for Best Regional Colleges according to U.S. News and World Report’s new 2013 edition of “Best Colleges.” The widely used college guide includes rankings on more than 1,600 schools nationwide.

The guidebook will be available on newsstands Sept. 18.

The Best Regional Colleges category includes schools whose focus is almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and who offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts, as well as fields such as business, nursing and education. The 370 colleges in the category draw heavily from nearby states and are divided into four regions.

Flagler was also named an “A-Plus School for B Students” based on its proportion of accepted students who had B-level grades but were admitted based on “spirit and hard work,” according to the U.S. News and World Report.

The Best Colleges guide compares the quality of schools based on “indicators of excellence” such as freshman retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty. Colleges and universities are sorted into categories that the publication bases on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

In August, Flagler was also included in the Princeton Review’s annual college guide, “Best 377 Colleges – 2013 Edition.”

Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $23,690, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu

Source: Flagler College