Bemidji State Makes Eighth Consecutive Appearance in U.S. News Regional Top 100

Bemidji State University has again been named one of the 100 best colleges and universities in the Midwest region in rankings released Sept. 9 by U.S. News and World Report.

Bemidji State is tied for 34th among public institutions in the Midwest region, and overall is tied with four other institutions for 99th among all colleges and universities in the region. It is the eighth consecutive year that BSU has made the U.S. News list of top 100 colleges in the region.

BSU was also named the region’s 77th-best college for veterans, which rates schools based on their participation in federal initiatives that help veterans and active-duty service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees.

U.S. News & World Report’s rankings categorize schools based on mission according to classifications developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, in some cases, by geography. Bemidji State is listed as a regional university in the Midwest region; regional universities offer a full range of undergrad programs with some master’s programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.

The Midwest region includes institutions in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Previous Rankings
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

Ranking methodology
The U.S. News ranking system scores colleges and universities in seven weighted categories: graduation and retention rates; assessment by peers; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; graduation rate performance; and alumni giving. Each category plays a different role in the overall score; for example, 45 percent of an institution’s final score is based on its graduation and retention rates and its peer and counselor assessment scores (22.5 percent each), while a school’s percentage of alumni donors accounts for five percent of the overall score. 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 2016 is online today, and the print version will be available on newsstands later this month.

Contact
Scott Faust, director of communications and marketing, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-2986, sfaust@bemidjistate.edu

Links

Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling nearly 5,000 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.