VSU Named a Best College by U.S. News and World Report

Valdosta State University is once again listed among the nation’s best colleges and universities, according to U.S. News and World Report’s recently released 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University is once again listed among the nation’s best colleges and universities, according to U.S. News and World Report’s recently released 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

VSU’s appearance among U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings reflects the university’s unwavering commitment to promoting a culture of excellence by fostering student success in and out of the classroom, cultivating an inclusive environment, impacting regional progress across South Georgia, and sustaining the institution for generations to come.

This is the 39^th year U.S. News and World Report has published its annual Best Colleges rankings. This year the publication assessed nearly 1,500 colleges and universities on several measures of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility, academic reputation, student-faculty ratio, and borrower debt.

VSU earned spots on four U.S. News and World Report 2023 Best Colleges lists — Top Performers on Social Mobility, Undergraduate Business Programs, Undergraduate Nursing Programs, and Undergraduate Psychology Programs.

Top Performers on Social Mobility: VSU is one of the most economically diverse national universities in the United States and is dedicated to enrolling and graduating students with exceptional financial need.

According to U.S. News and World Report, “economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics.” However, some institutions of higher education — like VSU — are “more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of (economically) disadvantaged students,” which the news organization defines as students who receive Federal Pell Grant funds.   

More than half of VSU’s entering students each year qualify for the Pell Grant program.

Undergraduate Nursing Programs: VSU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing is ranked among the top 28 percent of all nursing programs across the nation.

With a focus on serving as a resource for healthcare in South Georgia, VSU’s School of Nursing students gain valuable, real-world experience while serving the needs of underserved populations all year long. Through their various clinical experiences and volunteer efforts, VSU's nursing students go where they are most needed and help create healthier communities.

VSU offers a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing and an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.

Undergraduate Business Programs: The Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration at VSU offers a challenging curriculum and essential real-life learning experiences that prepare students for a dynamic business environment. Students engage in research with faculty, experience the world through study abroad and service learning activities, and develop professional skills through internships and award-winning student organizations.

VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, placing it among the top five percent of business colleges worldwide. It offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Healthcare Administration, International Business, General Business, Management, and Marketing.

Undergraduate Psychology Programs: The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at VSU offers a rigorous and relevant curriculum designed to prepare students for satisfying careers that allow them to have a real impact on the lives of others. Students are able to customize their college experience by engaging in life-enhancing research, transformative study abroad experiences, and impactful experiential learning activities that combine academic instruction with real-world problem solving.

VSU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Both degree options help students develop the intuition, emotional acuity, and compassion needed to work with individuals of all backgrounds in a variety of situations, from the clinic to the office to the classroom.