Wingate ranks highly on Newsweek’s list of top colleges for women

Wingate University has been recognized by Newsweek as one of the top colleges for women in North Carolina.

Wingate is ranked No. 179 in the nation and No. 4 in the state, trailing only Johnson C. Smith University, Meredith College and Winston-Salem State University.

Newsweek and Gender Fair, a gender-related ratings organization, rated 1,272 colleges and universities across the United States on four main criteria: leadership, pay and policy, safety, and opportunity. Wingate, which ranked among the top 15 percent overall, scored especially well on leadership and safety.

Among full-time traditional Wingate students, 58 percent are female. Sixty-two percent of Wingate faculty members are women.

"With close to 60 percent of Wingate students being female in any given year, it's important to have strong female representation in leadership roles," says Dr. Heather Miller, who will be promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer on June 1. "Wingate has long sought to amplify women's voices in the classroom and among the leadership team."

Dr. Erika Niland was recently named vice president for academic systems and faculty affairs. A biology professor during her nearly 16 years at Wingate, Niland joins an administration with several women in academic and non-academic leadership roles.

Newsweek and Gender Fair used two primary data sources, both from the U.S. Department of Education: the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Campus Safety and Security Database.

According to Newsweek, "Colleges that perform well in this ranking will have put in place the structural elements that will support education and employment for women."

March 18, 2026