•AVERAGE: 69
Randolph College is a private liberal arts institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Established on March 10, 1891, Randolph College was originally known as Randolph-Macon Women’s College and served as one of one of the top institutions of higher learning for women in the South. The first female college south of Washington, D.C. to receive a Phi Beta Kappa charter, one of Randolph-Macon College’s especially notable alumnae is novelist and activist Pearl S. Buck, class of ’14, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2007 the college officially changed its name to Randolph College and became a fully coeducational institution.
Academic Programs
Randolph College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Offering a rigorous and individualized liberal arts curriculum that is career-oriented, Randolph College boasts small classes which are only taught by faculty members – never graduate students, – the majority of who hold terminal degrees in their fields. Randolph College is noted for its high student-faculty involvement and engagement, the College has ranked higher than the national average for “student-faculty interaction”, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement and was designated as having the “most accessible” professors in the country by Newsweek magazine.Randolph College offers nearly 30 undergraduate majors as well as over 40 minors; in addition to these, the option to independently design a major tailored to meet a student’s particular interests is also available. At least five pre-professional programs are offered including the areas of law, medicine, veterinary medicine, education, and engineering. Cooperative career programs in engineering and nursing are also offered, allowing students to earn their degree at Randolph followed by a second degree from another institution within an accelerated time frame. Graduate study is offered as well, leading to either a Master of Arts in Teaching or a Master of Education.
Student Life
Randolph College has a total enrollment figure of nearly 700 students, the vast majority of whom are undergraduates. Students hail from more than 30 states and at least 20 foreign countries; nearly 10% of students are internationals. Many students choose to reside on Randolph College’s beautiful 100 acre campus in one of the College’s spacious, mixed-year residence halls which have been described as “palaces” by The Princeton Review. Several of Randolph College’s buildings, including its stunning Main Hall, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A member of the NCAA Division III, Randolph College also boasts state-of-the-art athletic facilities which include a first-class riding center and track and field complex.Lynchburg, Virginia itself, where Randolph is located, is a vibrant college town which boasts a delightful small-town charm. Lynchburg’s metropolitan area population is over 254,000 and the city is home to five colleges with more than 20,000 students. Plenty of recreational opportunities are available with the city’s biking and hiking trail system as well as the Blue Ridge Mountain trails nearby. Shopping, restaurants, live music venues, and coffee shops also abound and Randolph College is just a short drive away from Washington, D.C., Virginia Beach, Raleigh-Durham, and Richmond.