U.S. News Ranks BSU Among Region’s Best

For the seventh consecutive year, Bemidji State University finds itself among the Midwest region’s best colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s annual review of America’s Best Colleges.

BSU is tied for 33rd among public institutions in the Midwest region and is tied with four other institutions for 99th among all colleges and universities in the region.

The rankings also list BSU 36th on its regional “Best Colleges for Veterans” list. These are the top-ranked schools in the Best Colleges rankings that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees.

U.S. News & World Report is celebrating the 30th year of its college rankings, which categorizes schools based on mission, according to classifications developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, in some cases by geography as well. 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.

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

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 2015 is online today; 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

Links
America’s Best Colleges 2015
Bemidji State University profile page
• Midwest Regional Rankings
Overall
Public Institutions
“Best Colleges for Veterans”