U.S. News and World Report ranked Fort Valley State University as the #31 historically black college or university in the country in its 2019 Best Colleges listing, released today. FVSU’s ranking was #1 among Georgia public HBCUs and #18 among public HBCUs nationally. This year’s listing, which evaluated 1,400 schools, emphasized the earning potential and job prospects of college graduates.

“FVSU continues to produce an educational environment which promotes discovery, innovation, and creativity,” said Dr. Paul Jones, FVSU president. “This ranking is another affirmation of our work to create the college of the future. We are excited about our effectiveness in creating a forward-leaning curricular and co-curricular experience where students are not only pushed to excel academically, but are also challenged to be leaders in the community, to meaningfully contribute to scientific research, and to master the future skills they will need to be globally adaptable change makers.”

U.S. News evaluates schools on up to 16 metrics which evaluate academic excellence, including class size, average spending per student, retention, degree completion, peer assessment, high school counselor assessment, financial resources, and student excellence, according to the publication. Social mobility is new component of the methodology this year, an area where FVSU has consistently performed well nationally. SR Education Group named FVSU 2017’s “Most Affordable Online School for Student Economic Mobility,” and bestvalueschools.com ranked FVSU #8 on its list of “Best Value Historically Black Graduate Schools.” College Raptor ranked FVSU #8 on its national list of “Top 10 Colleges with Tuition Under $20,000.”