UNL has moved into the Top 100 among top national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 best-colleges rankings. UNL, which shares the No. 99 spot with three other universities, had landed at No. 101 the past three years.
Among public national universities, UNL improved to No. 45, joining all other Big Ten public universities in the Top 50 of that category. UNL was No. 47 in the 2014 and 2013 rankings and No. 49 in 2012.
The national universities category consists of 280 institutions (173 public, 100 private and seven for-profit) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees; some emphasize research.
The university is No. 20 among national universities as a best school for veterans and is on the publication’s list of “A-Plus Schools for B Students.” The College of Business Administration was No. 51 on the list of best undergraduate business programs, which were ranked on a peer assessment survey conducted in spring 2014. That’s a 21-point climb from last year’s list, in which CBA’s undergrad program was ranked No. 72.
To arrive at the overall university rankings, data on several indicators of academic quality are gathered from each institution and tabulated. Among the indicators are peer assessment; retention and graduation of students; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; alumni giving; and graduation rate performance – the difference between the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion that do.
In March, U.S. News & World Report included several of UNL’s colleges and programs in its list of Best Graduate Schools 2015. The College of Law was No. 54 out of 194 institutions; the College of Business Administration’s part-time MBA program was No. 39 out of 127 and its online MBA program was No. 6. The College of Education and Human Sciences’ graduate program was No. 48 out of 116 and its online masters’ program was No. 11. The College of Engineering was No. 87 out of 193 and its biological/agricultural engineering program was No. 9.
Also earlier this year, the publication included several UNL online programs in its list of best programs for veterans. UNL’s online MBA and its online graduate program in education each earned No. 2 national rankings in the organization’s list of Best Online Programs for Veterans. Each was the Big Ten’s highest ranked program.
