Curt Carlson
Vice Chancellor for University Relations, 308.865.8529
UNK- The University of Nebraska at Kearney today announced that the campus has again earned a ranking in the top tier of the “U.S. News & World Report’s” listing of the Best Universities-Master’s, public and private, in the Midwest. UNK was ranked against a total of 139 universities across 12 states in this category.
Further, for the third consecutive year, UNK ranks 15th among all public universities at the master’s level in the Midwest.
“At UNK we appreciate the affirmation of our mission as demonstrated in these widely-followed rankings,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Kristensen. “UNK continues to focus on building to its strengths—high academic standards, accessible faculty, student achievement and success, in and out of the classroom.”
The overall ranking is a composite of scores in several specific categories. UNK measures equal to, or better than, the average of its Board of Regent-defined peer group in 8 of 11 scores. Compared to last year’s scores, UNK improved its graduation rate from 55 to 56 percent, increased the number of classes with fewer than 20 students from 37 to 39 percent, reduced the number of classes with more than 50 students from 6 to 5 percent, and increased the number of freshmen who rank in the top 25 percent of their high school graduating class from 36 to 38 percent. UNK’s average freshman retention rate (81%) and the percent of faculty who are full-time (91%) are also noteworthy, especially in comparison to its peers.
“We pay attention to these and other university rankings because of their importance to many prospective students and their parents in choosing a university experience,” said Dr. Charles Bicak, senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Life. “We are pleased each year to see an upward trend in most of the indexes that reflect UNK’s commitment to students and their success.”
