For the 11th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNCW as one of the top ten public master’s universities in the South. U.S.News also placed the campus fifth on its list of “up-and-coming” master’s universities in the South.

U.S.News asked the top college officials who respond to its annual peer assessment survey to identify schools that fit the profile of an up-and-coming institution. Their survey identified 70 colleges and universities that have recently made “the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities.”

UNCW, fifth on that list for the South, was tied with Union University in Tennessee and James Madison University in Virginia.

In the South, UNCW ranked sixth among public master’s universities in the 2009 edition, not varying from 2008. Plus, among all 121 public and private universities in the South that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs, the overall ranking of UNCW stayed stable at 14th.

Placing extremely well in the 2008 Forbes special report on America’s Best Colleges, UNCW ranked second among the public universities in North Carolina, behind only UNC-Chapel Hill.

UNCW also was rated second among its peer institutions, with only James Madison University ranking higher.

“It is gratifying to be recognized for our institutional achievements by U.S.News & World Report and Forbes,” Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo said. “We have seven strategic goals that drive everything we do at UNCW, and we are making steady progress in every one of those areas, which is reflected in these rankings. It is a tribute to the daily efforts of our faculty and staff to ensure the most powerful academic experience possible for our students.”

Furthermore,the university continues to be the first-choice university for a growing number of high-achieving high school students. UNCW’s total enrollment for fall 2008 exceeds 12,000 students and the freshman class has an average SAT score of 1156 and an average high school grade point average of 3.75.

“I think that these ratings and class statistics show how prosperous a smaller school like UNCW can really be,” sophomore Haley Stevens said. “It’s great to be recognized for our hard work and dedication to the campus facilities and programs.”