Curt Carlson
Vice Chancellor for University Relations, 308.865.8529
For the third consecutive year, “U.S. News & World Report” has ranked the University of Nebraska at Kearney as the ninth best Public Regional University in the Midwest. Rankings were expanded to a Top 15 list for 2013 from a Top 10 in previous years.
“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 derived 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 included in the rankings encompass factors related to recruiting, retention, academics and alumni giving,” Chancellor Kristensen said. “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)
