US News & World Report Ranks SUU 3rd Best in Mountain West
Published: September 14, 2020 | Author: David Bishop | Read Time: 2 minutes
Southern Utah University has been ranked the best public regional university in Utah and 3rd in the eight state Mountain West region in the prestigious U.S. News & World Report annual rankings. In addition, SUU is the top-rated regional university in the West and number three in the United States for lowest student debt and the 34th “Best Value” in the West which includes regional universities in states from the Pacific coast to Texas.
“We’ve long focused on providing quality academic excellence while ensuring our students aren’t overloaded with debt upon graduation,” said SUU President Scott L Wyatt. “Higher education excellence and affordability are not mutually exclusive and this year’s U.S. News and World Report rankings confirm our commitment to providing both to our students at SUU.”
This is the 36th edition of the U.S News & World Report rankings. SUU showed an overall year-to-year increase in the key factors used to determine the overall rankings. SUU’s ranking as third in the nation for the least amount of student debt is one key factor that showed improvement. Last year SUU was ranked number 7th nationally.
Since 2019, SUU has not increased tuition for the second straight year, lowered tuition for online-only students, launched a three-year undergraduate degree program to save students time and money, and reorganized colleges and programs to give students a more coordinated effort in their academic pursuits. In addition, SUU recently moved to eliminate standardized tests in the admissions process and became the first university in Utah to make them optional in qualifying for academic scholarships.
U.S. News and World Report is the top source for higher education rankings in the nation. Rankings are organized according to a school’s mission and region in the country. Peer assessment, retention, and graduation rates account for more than half of U.S. News and World Report’s evaluation.
The report evaluates schools in up to 16 areas related to academics including peer assessment, retention, class sizes, student-faculty ratios, ranking of its incoming freshman, and graduation rates. The schools are then ranked based on their overall scores in these various areas, and the top schools are recognized in the Best Colleges List.
Tags: Rankings