Contact: Lynn Bretz, University Relations, (785) 864-8866; or Ranjit Arab, University Relations (785) 864-8855.
LAWRENCE - Once again, the University of Kansas ranks among the top 50 national public universities, according to U.S. News and World Report magazine.
In the magazine's annual "America's Best Colleges" issue, which hits newsstands on Monday, Sept. 4, KU finished in a tie for 42nd place with Auburn University, among the nation's top 147 public institutions. The University of California-Berkeley was ranked the top national public institution.
Overall, KU finished in a four-way tie for 62nd place among the nation's top 228 public and private institutions, along with Syracuse University, the University of Georgia and Pittsburgh University. Only four other Big 12 schools were included in the overall ranking of public and private institutions. They were the University of Texas, 16th; Texas A&M, in a three-way tie for 58th; and Baylor University and the University of Missouri, in a seven-way tie for 64th place. Princeton University finished at the top of the overall rankings.
"It's gratifying to see that U.S News and World Report has once again placed KU among the nation's best institutions," Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway said. "This is further confirmation of the high quality of education that KU offers its undergraduate students."
The magazine used seven factors to determine its ranking formula: academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.
The magazine also issued rankings for engineering and business undergraduate programs.
KU's undergraduate business program finished in a nine-way tie for 41st place.
KU's undergraduate engineering program finished in a six-way tie for 67th place among private and public institutions that offer a Ph.D. program. The ranking is an improvement from last year, when the engineering program finished in a tie with several other schools for 74th place.
Carl Locke, dean of engineering, said several factors led to the improved ranking. Because the process relies heavily on the perception the program has among its peers, Locke said several high profile projects by engineering faculty in the last year contributed to the improvement in ranking. Locke also is in a high-profile position among his peers as the chair-elect of the Engineering Deans Council, which consists of engineering school deans from schools around the nation.
"It's hard for me to single out any one particular thing that led to the improvement," Locke said. "Still, I'm pleased to see us move up."