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LAWRENCE--The University of Kansas continues to rank among the top 50 public universities in the nation, according to the latest edition of the U.S. News' annual "America's Best Colleges."
KU tied for 41st among the best 162 public "national universities." In all, U.S. News ranked 249 national universities that offer doctoral and master's degrees in addition to a wide range of undergraduate majors. KU's School of Business tied for 28th in the top 95 business programs at public national universities and KU's School of Engineering tied for 36th among the top 78 engineering programs at public national universities.
"The people of Kansas can be proud that their university remains among the 50 best public national universities," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "KU's standing as a national educational leader benefits our graduates and enhances the stature of our state.
"As gratifying as this ranking is, the University of Kansas has the potential to do even better. With the right partnership of state funding and private and tuition support, KU can be a top 25 public university."
In recent years, U.S. News has listed KU between 38th and 42nd among public national universities. U.S. News' rating is based on 16 indicators of academic excellence, including academic reputation, retention and graduate rates, student selectivity, and financial resources.
This year, KU's academic reputation improved from 34th to a tie for 30th among public universities. Despite that improvement, the university's overall public ranking declined slightly. Last year, KU tied for 39th.
U.S. News places the 249 best national public and private universities in four tiers. Of Big 12 universities, only the University of Texas is in the first tier. In the second tier, KU is joined by Baylor, Texas A&M University, Iowa State University, and the universities of Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech universities are in the third tier.
In addition to KU, other Big 12 schools to be ranked among the top 50 public national universities were Texas A&M, which dropped from 15th to 24th; Texas, which moved from 15th to 14th; Colorado, which dropped from 28th to 31st; Missouri, which moved from 36th to 28th; and Iowa State University, which dropped from 37th to 39th.
The newsstand book, "America's Best Colleges," which contains the U.S. News college rankings, will go on sale Sept. 16. Most of the rankings and some of the articles from the book will be in the Sept. 23 issue of U.S. News & World Report, the weekly newsmagazine, which also goes on sale Sept. 16.
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