Centenary College named Top Liberal Arts College by ‘U.S. News & World Report’
Centenary College of Louisiana is proud to announce that it has been named a Top National Liberal Arts College by the 2026 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
U.S. News also listed Centenary College among the best liberal arts colleges offering financial resources to students, and the College’s cost of tuition fell significantly lower than the national average. Centenary was a Top Performer for Social Mobility which assesses graduation rates for students receiving federal Pell Grants. More than half of Centenary students qualify for Pell Grants, and every student admitted to Centenary receives some kind of financial assistance.
“We are always pleased when our success in providing a great education is recognized,” said Dr. Christopher Holoman, president of Centenary College. “A college degree provides life-long benefits, and we work hard to make that available and affordable to as many students as possible.”
Centenary was recognized for its student-to-faculty ratio, currently 10:1, ensuring professors and students get to know one another. Nearly two-thirds of classes have 20 students or fewer.
U.S. News showed Centenary’s biological and biomedical sciences majors and business-related majors to have the highest graduation rates. Currently, Centenary has a 94% medical school acceptance rate. Centenary partners with many institutions to create a clear path to success for undergraduate students intending to pursue higher degrees in areas in medicine and law.
U.S. News evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities uses graduate success and at least 17 factors to measure academic quality. Its ranking system considers data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and other sources to score institutions in several key measures of quality. The overall ranking includes assessments of graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, and alumni giving, among other categories. U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to assist prospective students and their families compare merits of undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities.