LAKELAND, Fla. (Aug. 22, 2008) — In its annual “Best Colleges” rankings released today, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida Southern College among the Top 10 Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South for the sixth consecutive year. Florida Southern is the only college in Polk County and in Florida to be ranked in the Top 10 in the Best Baccalaureate Colleges category.

U. S. News & World Report ranks institutions in the areas of student quality and selectivity; retention and graduation rates; faculty quality; class size; and alumni giving, among other criteria. The publication defines baccalaureate institutions as those that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in professional fields such as business, education, and nursing.

In the rankings, Florida Southern College improved on the quality indicators of freshman retention, entering freshman SAT/ACT scores, the percentage of applicants accepted for admission, spending per student, and faculty salaries.