U.S. News Tabs SIUE Among Top Midwest Regional Universities For 11th Consecutive Year
U.S. News & World Report ranks Southern Illinois University Edwardsville among the best Regional Universities Midwest for the 11th consecutive year and among the top 15 public universities in that category. The listing is in the magazine’s “Best Colleges of 2015” issue that was released today.
SIUE remained in the top 50 of the Regional Universities Midwest category at 47 in this year’s rankings. SIUE is 11th overall among public universities in that category. The U.S. News overall scores are based on the reputation of SIUE in higher education, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
“SIUE’s hallmark is providing affordable academic excellence and producing exceptional leaders for our community and region,” said SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe. “Our distinguished faculty and talented staff provide the type of individualized attention and unique experiences that prepare SIUE students for career success.”
SIUE’s steady growth during the past decade has continued with a record freshman class for Fall 2014 along with record total enrollments for the Schools of Engineering, Nursing and Pharmacy. Meanwhile, undergraduate programs in the Schools of Business, Engineering, Nursing, and Education, Health and Human Behavior are enjoying enrollment increases.
Regional universities are considered to have a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few doctoral programs. The 620 universities in this category are ranked against their peer group in one of four geographic regions (North, South, Midwest and West), because they tend to draw students most heavily from surrounding states.
SIUE is also included among the 2015 “Up and Comers” among Midwest regional universities. College administrators were surveyed last spring to nominate institutions that they believe have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities. SIUE is among a group that includes Truman State University (Mo.), Valparaiso University (Ind.) and Butler University (Ind.).
The latest U.S. News rankings come on the heels of last month’s recognition by Washington Monthly that ranks SIUE among the top 40 master’s universities in the nation and No. 1 among all institutions in Illinois.
