Niagara University continued its ascent up U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings, climbing to No. 47 among regional universities in the 2016 edition of the magazine’s annual survey of “America’s Best Colleges.”
This marks the fourth straight year that NU has moved up in the annual rankings. The Catholic and Vincentian institution came in at No. 50 last year among the colleges and universities in the top tier of institutions in the northern United States that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s degree programs. It ranked No. 54 two years ago and No. 70 the prior year.
NU is also once again among the 15 regional institutions deemed a “Best Value,” a calculation that takes into account a school’s academic quality and the 2014-15 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.
Additionally, Niagara is also considered to be one of the region’s “Best Colleges for Veterans,” illustrated by its placement on the list of the “top-ranked schools that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees.”
“We are pleased that the excellent quality of Niagara University’s academic programs and our commitment to affordability and accessibility continue to be praised by U.S. News & World Report,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University. “Continuing to be included on these types of lists is a testament to our faculty, staff and administrators, and another step toward our vision of becoming one of the best comprehensive universities in the world.”
The magazine examined 1,800 colleges and universities across the country and assigned rankings to 1,376 schools. It weighed factors such as graduation and retention rates, class sizes, admissions test scores and per-student spending on instruction, research and student services. It also asked high school guidance counselors and administrators of peer schools to rate schools’ academic programs.
The rankings will appear in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 Best Collegesguidebook. They also appear online.