Rollins Ranked in Top 3 for Undergraduate Teaching

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Rollins in the top 3 for its commitment to undergraduate teaching among regional universities in the South in its 2024 rankings of the nation’s best colleges.

For the past several years, Rollins has received top accolades among the 136 colleges and universities in its category, which is comprised of schools that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s-level programs.

U.S. News & World Report’s best undergraduate teaching rankings focus on schools whose faculty demonstrate an unusually strong commitment to teaching undergraduate students. With Rollins’ finger on the pulse of engaged learning, our expert faculty are true partners dedicated to helping students unlock their unique potential. The College’s 11:1 student-faculty ratio and average class size of just 17 ensures students receive personalized attention in and outside the classroom from faculty who know not just their names, but their goals and dreams.

After taking the class Politics of Global Poverty, international relations major Capri Gutierrez ’23 partnered with political science professor Dan Chong to research and co-author a book as part of the Student Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program. She went on to spend a semester abroad in Uganda studying global development and meeting former child soldiers of the Northern Ugandan War.

“My relationship with Professor Chong helped me so much throughout my Rollins journey,” says Gutierrez, who is currently back in Uganda on her Fulbright assignment working with the Justice and Reconciliation Project. “He saw me for the person I wanted to be, which pushed me to become that person. He even offered to help me with my research remotely while I'm in Uganda for the Fulbright.”

For English major Katherine Pearce ’19, the relationships she forged with her professors were instrumental to her growth as a writer and as a person. She partnered with English professor Ryan Winet through Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program to turn one of her short stories into a graphic narrative and presented on the process of collaborative writing at the Other Words Literary Conference.

“The relationships I formed at Rollins helped pave my way,” says Pearce, who is now a senior creative lead for the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. “They all taught me how to believe in myself and how to formulate concise, clear, open, honest communication. I’m working remotely abroad for an organization I love doing work I believe in—none of which would’ve been possible without their advice and encouragement.”

At Rollins, students cultivate enduring connections with our accomplished faculty through our small, discussion-oriented classes and structured individual guidance. We’ve developed a strong culture of collaboration, where professors seamlessly transition into mentors, bringing subjects to life and linking learning to real-world applications. In the classroom and through collaborative endeavors like research opportunities, field studies, and community engagement, students form lasting bonds with our esteemed faculty that help shape their path at Rollins and beyond.

In addition to recognizing the College for its uncommon commitment to undergraduate teaching, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rollins the No. 1 regional university in the South. The College was also identified as one of the South’s most innovative institutions, citing the interdisciplinary curriculum and improvements to campus life, technology, and facilities. Rollins’ undergraduate psychology program was ranked among the nation’s best as was our AACSB-accredited undergraduate business program, which moved up five places from the previous year.