For the 22nd consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has named the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire among the best public regional universities in the Midwest.
The "Best Colleges 2017" guidebook ranks UW-Eau Claire No. 5 among the top regional public universities in the Midwest, and 37th among all private and public institutions in the 12-state region. Every year since 1995, U.S. News has ranked UW-Eau Claire among the top public institutions in the Midwest and in the top third of public and private Midwestern regional universities.
"Being recognized through the U.S. News rankings for the 22nd year in a row is a wonderful testament to the 100-year legacy of excellence that our faculty and staff have created for our students,” said Chancellor James Schmidt. “I believe our continued high ranking is due to our commitment to provide students with high-value experiences — like faculty-student research, internships and study abroad — that help them succeed after graduation. Also important is the work we are doing to reduce our students' time to graduation, which gets them into the workplace or on to the next step in their post-undergraduate plans."
U.S. News & World Report ranks UW-Eau Claire in the "Regional Universities" category. The category's Midwest region includes schools in 12 states stretching from the Dakotas in the west to Missouri in the south and Ohio in the east. Public and private universities included in this category offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master’s degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.
The regional rankings include four geographic areas (North, South, Midwest and West). The rankings reflect how schools compare within their regions on a set of indicators, including student retention, peer assessment, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving.
This year, U.S. News also again included UW-Eau Claire on its "Best Colleges for Veterans" and "A+ Schools for B Students" lists. In the "Best Colleges for Veterans" category, UW-Eau Claire was ranked No. 3 among public universities in the Midwest. Universities in the "A+ Schools for B Students" category are "those where nonsuperstars have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving — where spirit and hard work could make all the difference to the admissions office," according to the U.S. News category description.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings are available online Sept. 13.
The "Best Colleges 2017" guidebook will be on newsstands early next month.
