Recent rankings recognize the University’s commitment to academic excellence,
social mobility and return on investment.
Wilkes University is once again ranked among top national universities in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges ranking of American colleges and universities. In the 2021 edition, Wilkes is ranked 217 among nearly 400 national universities.
This is the seventeenth consecutive year that Wilkes has been ranked and its second year as a national university. Schools in the national universities category offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs.
Wilkes is also ranked as a top performer for social mobility. Introduced last year, the social mobility list measures how well schools educate and graduate students who receive Pell grants, the federal aid program reserved for the most financially needy students. Wilkes is also on U.S. News and World Report’s list of “A+ Schools for B Students.” The list looks at schools in the top three-fourths of their ranking category and their average first-year student retention rate.
This is the third time in recent months that Wilkes has been recognized for academic excellence, social mobility and returning value:
- Brookings Institution: In May, Wilkes was recognized for helping students improve their economic standing and income after graduation. Wilkes was ranked 14th overall among all colleges and universities and sixth among selective four-year private colleges and universities of its size for helping students from middle-class families raise their income level over previous generations.
- Washington Monthly: Wilkes ranked 156th among national universities based on what they are doing for the country. Wilkes was also included in Washington Monthly’s best bang for the buck ranking, which recognizes schools that help students pursue a marketable degree at an affordable price. Wilkes ranked 228 of 397 northeast institutions.
- Princeton Review: Wilkes one of 224 colleges named “Best in the Northeast.”
Click here for a full list of rankings and recognitions.
“Collectively, these rankings reflect our commitment to access and to making a Wilkes education as affordable as possible, while highlighting our ongoing return on investment for graduates and their families,” said Wilkes President Greg Cant. “To be recognized during such a challenging time speaks to the dedication of our faculty and staff and the ambition and drive of the students who we serve.”
In this year’s first-year class at Wilkes, 45 percent of students will be the first in their families to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and 40 percent are eligible for PELL grants, the federal aid program reserved for the most financially needy students. In addition, 22 percent of the students in the incoming class are expecting a family contribution of zero dollars. In turn, Wilkes also boasts a 96 percent job placement rate.
U.S. News & World Report considers several factors in its ranking calculations, including academic profile, retention and graduation rates, financial resources and peer perception.
Wilkes jumped from a regional university to a national university after being named a doctoral university in the revised 2018 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The doctoral/professional university category includes institutions that award at least 20 research doctoral degrees or 30 or more professional-practice doctoral degrees. In the 2019-20 academic year, Wilkes far exceeded this requirement, awarding 147 doctoral degrees in doctor of pharmacy, doctor of nursing practice and doctor of education programs. In Sept. 2020, Wilkes awarded the university’s first doctor of philosophy degrees.
