U.S. News and World Report has recognized Bemidji State University as one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest region for the sixth consecutive year.
Bemidji State tied with nine other institutions for 92nd in the region among all colleges and universities, and tied for 32nd among the region’s public institutions. BSU’s overall ranking and ranking among public institutions both are up one position from last year.
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 2014 ranks 110 of 147 listed regional universities in its Midwest region, and in total ranked 436 of 574 listed institutions 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 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.
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 assessment metrics (22.5 percent each), while the alumni giving percentage accounts for five percent of an institution’s overall score.
The 2014 rankings include a number of changes from previous years, including expanded emphasis on an institution’s graduation rate performance and a reduced emphasis on the peer review score.
A complete explanation of U.S. News’ ranking methodology can be found on its website.
Other rankings
Bemidji State also appeared in several other college rankings lists released today by U.S. News & World Report:
• tied for 106th in the region in campus ethnic diversity, which measures an institution’s total proportion of minority students, minus international students (0.17);
• tied for 59th in the region in economic diversity, which measures the percentage of an institution’s students who receive Pell Grants (41 percent);
• tied for 35th in the region in percentage of international students in the institution’s student body (3 percent);
• tied for 81st nationally among all institutions surveyed in highest acceptance rate (93.4 percent).
U.S. News & World Report began publishing college rankings in 1983. America’s Best Colleges 2014 is online today; the print version will be available on newsstands in mid-September.
LINKS
• America’s Best Colleges 2014
• Ranking Methodology
• Midwest Regional Rankings
• Midwest Regional Public Institution Rankings
• Bemidji State University profile page
• Previous Bemidji State releases on U.S. News rankings:
[2013][2012][2011][2010][2009]