HARROGATE, Tenn. — The national publication U.S. News and World Report has released its annual college rankings and Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) was placed on the 2013 Up-and-Comers list.

“This recognition is certainly fitting for LMU. We are an institution on the rise and have spent the last decade growing rapidly, it is nice to see our progress recognized on a national scale,” LMU President B. James Dawson said. “It is especially gratifying knowing that this recognition was a result of a survey of our peers.”

The web exclusive category was compiled as a result of college administrators surveyed in the spring of 2012 for the 2013 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings being asked to nominate institutions that they thought had recently made the most promising and innovative changes in areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities. The colleges and universities that appear on the list were cited most often by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans.

LMU was selected as the No. 6 Up-and-Comer Regional University in the South. Joining LMU on the list are Elon University (N.C.), Belmont University (Tenn.), Christopher Newport University (Va.), Union University (Tenn.), Appalachian State University (N.C.), College of Charleston (S.C.), Mercer University (Ga.) and University of North Carolina-Wilmington. The complete Up-and-Comers listing can be found online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

LMU also made significant gains in its overall ranking as it moved from a Tier 2 listing in the Regional University South category a year ago to a Tier 1 spot at No. 80 in the 2013 listing.

The University has expanded from its liberal arts core and now offers advanced and professional degrees in osteopathic medicine, law, business, nursing and education. LMU students run the gamut, from first-generation college students to working professionals seeking to complete their degree to professional students pursuing their doctorates. The University also operates 11 extended learning sites, offering programs throughout the region.