ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Flagler College has earned the No. 1 ranking for Regional Colleges in the South and No. 1 for Top Private Regional Colleges in the South in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges list released today.
The rankings mark the first time in the school’s history that it has placed first in either category.
The St. Augustine institution received accolades across several other categories in the 2027 rankings. Flagler climbed two spots to rank No. 16 in Best Value Regional Colleges in the South, maintained its standing as a Top Performer on Social Mobility and earned a national ranking for its undergraduate psychology program.
U.S. News evaluates nearly 1,700 colleges and universities using 17 factors measuring academic quality and student success. The evaluation criteria include peer assessments, graduation rates and post-graduation earnings by major.
Flagler College President John Delaney addressed the milestone and its impact on the campus community. “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,” Delaney said. “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 college operates with a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio and employs 133 full-time faculty members. Students at the school participate in hands-on learning opportunities, including undergraduate research, internships and community-based programs.
The U.S. News distinctions follow other national recognitions for the school earlier this year. In August, Flagler was included in The Princeton Review’s 2027 edition of its Best Colleges guide, earning high marks for professor accessibility, interesting professors and quality of life.
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