For the first time, U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings have recognized Marshall University among the nation’s top higher education institutions.
The magazine’s 2020 edition, released today, placed Marshall among the best 381 schools in the top tier “National Universities” category.
Today’s release marks the first time Marshall has been listed in the “National Universities” category—a direct result of the university’s recent elevation to the R2, or Doctoral University: High Research Activity, category by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The publication also ranked Marshall’s Brad D. Smith Schools of Business among the country’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs.”
“We are certainly gratified that U.S. News & World Report has designated Marshall University among the top tier universities in the country,” said Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert, president of Marshall University. “It is wonderful to see our university recognized nationally as a student-centered, public research institution committed to academic excellence, research, student success, and accessible and affordable higher education.”
The “National Universities” category includes schools that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, and are committed to conducting groundbreaking research. The leaders in the category include such respected institutions as Princeton, Harvard and Columbia universities.
U.S. News & World Report also recognized Marshall with the #147 position in the country in the “Social Mobility” category—a measure of how successful a school is at enrolling and graduating students who come from low-income households. Marshall is West Virginia’s only research university to be ranked in this category.
Dr. Jaime R. Taylor, Marshall’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said he is particularly pleased with the Social Mobility ranking.
“With 75 percent of our students coming from West Virginia, Marshall has always provided native students with affordable access to a college education and graduated them into well-paying jobs,” Taylor added. “This ranking helps validate that we are serving our talented students particularly well by helping them elevate their socioeconomic status and, in turn, strengthen their communities.”
U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings compare colleges and universities from across the U.S., using widely accepted indicators of quality that include average ACT/SAT scores of admitted students, graduation and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, financial resources and alumni giving rate.
Originally from Ginny Painter for Marshall University Communications.