U.S. News and World Report has ranked Williams Baptist University as among the top colleges in the South, as well as ranking among top schools on Social Mobility and among the Best Value Schools list for Regional Colleges in the South.

WBU was among the highest ranked schools in the state of Arkansas for Best Regional Colleges in the South, ranking ahead of four other schools in the state. “Best Regional” rankings are calculated through a number of factors, including graduation and first-year retention rates, graduation rate performance, social mobility, Pell graduation rates and performance and multiple other measures of academic quality.

WBU was also the one of only two institutions in the state to make the list of Best Value Schools for Regional Universities in the South. To select institutions for this list, U.S. News factors the academic quality and cost for each school after accounting for total expenses and financial aid. 

Four ranking indicators were used, including academic quality, the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants, the average discount from the school’s total sticker price for full-time undergraduates, and the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving need-based aid who also received a grant or scholarship. 

WBU was also ranked on the list for Social Mobility Among Regional Colleges of the South. This ranking measures the extent to which schools enroll and graduate students who have received federal Pell Grants. This is computed based on two factors, both the six-year graduation rate of bachelor’s degree-seeking new entrants awarded Pell Grants as well as how close the six-year graduation rate of Pell Grant receiving students is to students who do not receive Pell Grants.

WBU is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.