Wilmington College’s course of study in agriculture has earned another accolade. Learn.Org ranked WC third in the nation for Best Agriculture Degrees for 2020-21.

Learn.org evaluates schools on factors ranging from degree options, tuition costs and graduation rates to how schools provide their students with experiential learning opportunities. The organization found the college’s hands-on learning in labs, greenhouses and on WC’s 267-acre crop and animal production farm as especially impressive, as well as its promotion of internships, advocacy training and opportunities for leadership development.

More than 90 percent of agriculture students have offers for careers in the agriculture industry or have been accepted at graduate school by the time of their WC commencement.

State University of New York’s Cobleskill campus placed first in Learn.Org’s 2020-21 rankings, followed by Delaware Valley University. The rankings not only include many of the nation’s smaller, independent schools with prominent agriculture programs, but also such large agricultural institutions as Purdue, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State universities.

In recent years, the college ranked 15th among Blue Ribbon College Farms in the United States and Canada, its Soil Judging Team defeated Big 10 universities in regional competition, and College Factual cited WC as being in the top 1 percent in the nation for the most focused program in agricultural economics and ag-business, and in the top 5 percent for most focused agriculture program in general. This past spring, the WC Aggies hosted a record-breaking 1,402 participants, representing 97 high schools from three states, at its 62nd annual Livestock Judging Contest.

Some 25 percent of the college’s main campus students are studying agriculture.

Submitted by Randall Sarvis, senior director of public relations, Wilmington College.