The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) continues to highlight the exceptional education and engagement of students at Sweet Briar College.
Sweet Briar students rate the quality of their interaction with faculty higher than students at other colleges. They report greater levels of talking with faculty about their career plans and academic performance, as well as working with and having discussions with faculty outside the classroom.
High Impact Practices (HIPs), according to NSSE, represent enriching educational experiences that can be life changing. By the time they graduate, nine out of 10 Sweet Briar seniors participate in more than one high-impact educational practice, compared to seven out of 10 students at other colleges. For example:
- Eight out of 10 students have at least one internship experience while attending Sweet Briar, compared to five out of 10 students at other colleges.
- Eight out of 10 students hold a formal leadership role in a student organization — twice as many as students at other colleges.
- Six out of 10 students work on research projects with faculty — three times more than the number of students at other colleges.
- Four out of 10 students study abroad while attending Sweet Briar — twice as many as students than at other colleges.
Sweet Briar seniors also rate their growth — as a result of their experience at Sweet Briar — in writing, speaking, critical thinking and acquiring job- and work-related knowledge above students at other colleges.
One of only two women’s colleges in the U.S. to offer an ABET-accredited engineering degree program
One of less than 10 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with a Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society chapter on campus
Most popular majors: archaeology and ancient studies, biology, business, engineering science, English and creative writing, history, performing arts, political science, psychology, visual arts
Accolades
- U.S. News & World Report: Most Innovative Schools, 2019 and 2021; one of the Best Undergraduate Engineering Program, 2020; one of the top National Liberal Arts Colleges, 2020
- The Princeton Review: Best Colleges in the Southeastern Region, 2020
- Kiplinger: Best College Values, 2019
- Forbes: America’s Top Colleges, 2019; #MyTopCollege, 2019
- Sweet Briar is consistently recognized as one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and the fourth-largest campus (2,840 acres) among liberal arts colleges in the U.S. with eight nature sanctuaries, two lakes and 18 miles of trails. Twenty-one buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Riding
Equine Studies Certificate, 130-acre on-campus riding center, more than 18 miles of trails, one of the nation’s largest indoor college arenas; opportunities to compete independently or as a member of our NCEA, IHSA or ODAC teams
Athletics
NCAA Division III, Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) with varsity intercollegiate teams in cross-country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and tennis