Flagler College Earns Two No. 1 Rankings in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges for the First Time Ever

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in its history, Flagler College has earned the No. 1 ranking among Regional Colleges in the South and the No. 1 ranking among Top Private Regional Colleges in the South in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges rankings.

The recognition marks the first time Flagler College has earned a No. 1 ranking in either category.

Flagler College's 2027 U.S. News recognitions

• No. 1 — Regional Colleges in the South
  
  
• No. 1 — Top Private Regional Colleges in the South
  
  
• No. 16 — Best Value Regional Colleges in the South
  
  
• Top Performer — Social Mobility, Regional Colleges in the South
  
  
• Nationally ranked — Undergraduate Psychology programs

The 2027 rankings also recognize Flagler's academic strength and value across several categories. The College's Psychology program earned a place among U.S. News' nationally ranked undergraduate psychology programs, while Flagler climbed two spots to No. 16 in Best Value Regional Colleges in the South and maintained its recognition as a Top Performer on Social Mobility for Regional Colleges in the South.

The Best Value recognition is particularly meaningful as students and families weigh the investment of a college education alongside academic quality and outcomes. U.S. News includes specialized rankings such as Best Value to give students additional ways to evaluate colleges beyond their overall ranking.

Together, these distinctions demonstrate the quality of a Flagler education, one grounded in academic rigor, student success, value, and preparation for life after graduation.

Flagler's No. 1 recognition matters. For prospective students and their families, the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are an important resource in the college search process. U.S. News evaluates nearly 1,700 colleges and universities using 17 factors of academic quality and student success, providing students and families with a data-driven way to compare institutions as they consider where to invest in their education.

"For a college with more than five decades of educating students in the heart of historic St. Augustine, this first No. 1 ranking is both a milestone and a reflection of the people and work behind it," said Flagler College President John Delaney. "Being recognized as the No. 1 Regional College in the South is a tremendous achievement, but what matters most is what that recognition represents for our students: the quality of their education, the relationships they build with faculty, and the opportunities they have to turn what they learn into what comes next."

The rankings also reflect more than just reputation. U.S. News considers factors including peer assessment, graduation rate, and earnings by major, measures that speak to innovative teaching, institutional health, whether students succeed through graduation, and what happens after they earn their degrees.

At Flagler, that academic experience is personal. With a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 133 full-time faculty members, students have opportunities to build meaningful relationships with professors and pursue research, internships, community-based learning, and other hands-on experiences. Across disciplines, students are challenged to connect what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges while developing the knowledge and skills to pursue graduate education and careers.

Together, these measures and the Flagler experience behind them help explain what the No. 1 recognition represents: a college where students are known, challenged, and prepared for what comes next.

The College's recognition in the 2027 rankings adds to a year of momentum. In August, Flagler was also recognized in The Princeton Review's 2027 edition of its Best Colleges guide, receiving high marks in areas including Professor Accessibility, Interesting Professors, and Quality of Life.

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SOURCE Flagler College