“U.S. News and World Report” has recognized Bemidji State University as one of the top 100 colleges and universities in the Midwest region for the fifth consecutive year.
Bemidji State tied with three other institutions for 93rd in the region among all colleges and universities, and tied for 33rd among the region’s public institutions – up one position from last year.
“This ranking reinforces the great efforts by faculty and staff at Bemidji State University to deliver a high-quality, highly accessible education to everyone across Minnesota and beyond,” said Dr. Richard A. Hanson, president of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College.
Among other rankings released for universities in the Midwest region, Bemidji State tied for 36th out of 75 schools ranked in percentage of a school’s population of international students at three percent, and tied for 59th out of 100 schools ranked in economic diversity, with 41 percent of its students receiving Pell grants.
U.S. News & World Report categorizes schools based on mission, according to classifications developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, in some cases, also breaks schools down by region. U.S. News classifies Bemidji State University as a regional university in the Midwest region. Regional universities as classified as those offering a full range of undergraduate programs with some master’s, but few, if any, doctoral programs.
America’s Best Colleges 2013 ranks 112 of 149 listed regional universities in its Midwest region, and in total ranked 441 of 589 institutions included in rankings across four regions: North, South, Midwest and West. Institutions not included in the rankings are listed alphabetically.
The publication’s Midwest region includes North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Last year, Bemidji State University tied with four other institutions for 91st among all colleges and universities in the region and ranked 34th among public universities in the region in last year’s ranking.
Ranking methodology
The U.S. News ranking system rests on two pillars. The formula uses quantitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality, based on U.S. News’ researched view of what matters in education. Data is gathered on up to 16 indicators of “academic excellence,” with each indicator assigned a weight based on U.S. News’ judgement of its importance. Once data is gathered, colleges and universities in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite weighted score. For a variety of reasons, schools could also be listed in a separate “unranked” category. These reasons include factors such as not using the SAT or ACT test scores in admissions decisions for first-time, first-year, degree-seeking applicants; having a total enrollment of less than 200; or having no first-year students.
A complete explanation of U.S. News’ ranking methodology can be found on its website.
U.S. News & World Report began publishing college rankings in 1983. America’s Best Colleges 2013 will be available on newsstands Sept. 18.
LINKS:
• Previous Bemidji State releases on U.S. News rankings [2008][2009][2010][2011]
• America’s Best Colleges 2013
• Ranking Methodology
• Midwest Regional Rankings
• Midwest Regional Public Institution Rankings