Rocky Mount, N.C.—The newest rankings of colleges and universities just released by U.S. News & World Report show North Carolina Wesleyan College in the Top Tier and among the “Top 50 Best Colleges in the South.”

The rankings are based on peer assessment, average freshman retention rates, average graduation rates, student-faculty ratios, percentages of fulltime faculty, SAT/ACT scores, high school rankings, acceptance rates, and average alumni giving rates.

“We are thrilled to get this news of our major rise in the rankings,” said Wesleyan President James A. Gray III. “To be among the South’s Top 50 colleges is something we can not only be proud of but also use as motivation to rise even higher in future years.”

Wesleyan placed 49th on the list of the region’s top 71 colleges, moving out of the “Tier 2” list to rank among the top colleges in the South. In addition, Wesleyan continued its long-held ranking as one of the most ethnically and racially diverse colleges in the South—ranking third.

“This is evidence of the hard work and skill put forward in recent years by our faculty and staff, and our students have worked hard to stay in school and graduate. Positive momentum is a wonderful state, and we definitely have it. It is our goal to have the opportunity to become America’s next great college, and these U.S. News rankings show we are on our way.”

Gary L. Sherman, Wesleyan’s vice president of enrollment management, said that he, too, is pleased with the new ranking.“We are very proud of the continued upward movement of our programs,” he said. “Especially important is that others are seeing that as well.”