September is college rankings month and for Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) that means continued national honors. Rankings by US News and World Report, Forbes Magazine and the Washington Monthly College Guide, all place WJU high on the list of regional and baccalaureate colleges.
Among regional baccalaureate colleges,
US News and World Report ranks Wheeling Jesuit number six in the South Regional Colleges. Rankings from
Washington Monthly College Guide place WJU 2nd nationally for baccalaureate colleges and
Forbes Magazine ranks WJU among its Best Colleges in America.
Regional Colleges like WJU are institutions focused on undergraduate education with significant enrollment in applied fields of study. The magazine's methodology considers student success as evidenced by retention and graduation rates, quality of education as indicated by class size and percentage of full-time faculty, affordability as indicated by financial aid, and academic reputation as determined by extensive surveys of college and high school administrators.
“With a 450-year history of Jesuit excellence in education coupled with our research-oriented approach to undergraduate curriculum, Wheeling Jesuit is able to produce exceptional learning outcomes for its graduates,” said President Richard Beyer.
In addition to the academic curriculum, the undergraduate student experience plays an important role in both the impressive outcomes and the national rankings. WJU recently announced record enrollment for the fall of 2012 and noted that its students come from 20 different states and 24 different countries.
“We have one of the highest undergraduate research participation rates in the county, WJU students enjoy a significant advantage when applying to medical and law school,” said Dr. Steve Stahl, Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty. “We are proud of our 100% clubs. We add membership to these clubs each time we achieve entire class acceptance rates to medical or law school or when an entire class passes the national certification exams in the Health Sciences”.
A global leader in academic excellence, undergraduate research and service learning, Wheeling Jesuit University is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. The University's 19 men and women's NCAA Division II athletic teams, plus its USA Rugby Division I varsity program, have won 62 championships. With 47 Academic All-Americans, WJU promotes excellence on the field and in the classroom.
WJU is home to the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, a Challenger Learning Center, the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute, and the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies (CET), an educational research and development group. CET is a pioneer in the creation of simulations for learning, including virtual reality, video games and video-conferenced role-playing missions. CET conducts educational research for agencies and foundations including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes for Health, the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
