The University of Nebraska at Kearney is ranked the ninth best public regional university in the Midwest.
This is the third consecutive year the "U.S. News & World Report" has ranked UNK as one of the Top 10 schools in the Midwest. The ranking was expanded to the top 15 for this year.
"The three-year continuation of UNK's
position as a Top 10 university confirms what our students recognize," said UNK
Chancellor Doug Kristensen. "A UNK education is highly valuable, and
increasingly acknowledged as such across Nebraska, the region and, in fact, the
world."
The "U.S. News & World Report" rankings
are determined from 11 performance indicators. One such indicator is peer
assessment, on which UNK experienced significant upward movement.
Dr. Charles Bicak, senior vice chancellor for
Academic and Student Affairs, said he believes higher peer assessments reflect
a growing positive awareness of UNK in the region.
"UNK continues to measure better than the
average of its peer universities in most categories," Dr. Bicak said. "It is
strong validation of the commitment of faculty and staff to our
student-centered mission that has led to this success."
The university's rankings on other indicators
remained consistent: freshman retention rate (80 percent), average graduation
rate (59 percent), student/faculty ratio (16/1), faculty who are full-time (89
percent), SAT/ACT percentile (20-25), acceptance rate (86 percent) and average
alumni giving rate (8 percent).
"The 11 indicators used in the rankings
encompass factors related to recruiting, retention, academics and alumni
giving," said Kristensen. "The ranking is a testament to the fact
that the university–including members of the faculty, staff, administration,
the Kearney community and our alumni–are fully engaged and committed to the
success of our students and institution."
Top 15 Public Regional Universities in the
Midwest
- 1. Truman State University (MO)
- 2. Univ. of Illinois-Springfield
- 2. University of Northern Iowa
- 4. Univ. of Wisconsin-La Crosse
- 5. Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
- 6. University of Michigan-Dearborn
- 7. Grand Valley State University (MI)
- 7. University of Minnesota-Duluth
- 9. University of Nebraska-Kearney
- 10. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- 11. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
- 11. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
- 11. Western Illinois University
- 14. Eastern Illinois University
- 15. Winona State University (MN)
