NSU ranked in three categories for US News & World Report: Best Colleges

By NSU Staff

(Tahlequah, Okla)—In a recent study conducted by U.S. News & World Report, within the Regional Universities (West) Rankings, Northeastern State University was listed as tied in 84th place for Best Regional Universities, tied for 34th place for Top Public Schools and tied for 29th place for Best Colleges for Veterans.

In the Best Regional (West) Category, NSU was tied with California State University-Los Angeles, California State University-San Marcos, Lubbock Christian University, Southern Nazarene University. Stephen F. Austin University and Western Oregon University. NSU made this notable list with other universities such as Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University and San Jose State University.

Within the state of Oklahoma, NSU and the University of Central Oklahoma are the only regional universities to make the list.

To determine the rankings for this designation, U.S. News & World Report uses seven indicators.

Significant weight is given to the undergraduate academic reputation, which is based upon the opinions of those in a position to judge this factor, such as presidents, provosts and deans admissions. Another factor in this indicator is the perception of the school from the point of view of counselors at public high schools that ranked gold, silver or bronze in the U.S. News rankings of Best High Schools.

Retention is the second major factor in determining a university’s ranking. The study looks at a university’s six-year graduation rate as 80 percent of the retention score and the freshman retention rate as the remaining 20 percent.

Faculty resources account for the next indicator in rank determinations, looking at class sizes, faculty salary, proportion of professors with the highest degree in their fields, the student-to-faculty ratio and the proportion of faculty who are full time.

The remaining factors taken into consideration have a wide range. There is student selectivity, which includes admissions test scores for enrollees who took the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT and the composite ACT scores, and the proportion of enrolled freshman who graduated in the top quarter of their classes. The acceptance rate is also a factor. Financial resources, graduation rate performance, and the alumni giving rate, based on living bachelor’s degree persons, complete the list of indicators in determining a university’s ranking.

NSU and UCO are also the only Oklahoma universities to be listed as Top Public Schools in the west division of regional universities, and NSU is the only regional university from Oklahoma to make the Best Colleges for Veterans list.

NSU serves an average of 9,000 students with its three diverse campuses, offering education for a variety of lifestyles, circumstances and learning styles. Additionally, NSU is recognized for having the second lowest tuition among Oklahoma universities.

“We are dedicated to our students’ success, and we strive to make the entire NSU experience something they can look back on with pride,” President Steve Turner said. “We know that strong academics lead to career readiness, but we also offer a wide array of learning opportunities that go beyond the classroom. We take pride in our national rankings, but the most meaningful benchmark is the impact our graduates continue to make on our state and nation.

Published: 10/3/2014 2:35:59 PM