Niagara University is featured in four prominent categories by U.S. News & World Report in the 2017 edition of the magazine’s annual survey of “America’s Best Colleges.”

U.S. News includes Niagara among its “Best Regional Universities (North),” “Great Schools, Great Prices,” “Best Colleges for Veterans,” and “Foreign Student Factor.”

On the heels of being ranked as the best value among Buffalo-Niagara institutions by Money magazine, NU is once again highlighted among the 15 regional institutions on the U.S. News “Great Schools, Great Prices” list. The methodology takes into account a school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.

Additionally, Niagara is considered to be one of the region’s “Best Colleges for Veterans,” as illustrated by its placement on the list of the schools that are GI Bill certified, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and had 20 or more students using the GI Bill.

NU is also making considerable strides in its efforts to diversify its campus, reports the U.S. News study on schools with the largest proportions of international undergraduate students.

This marks the fifth straight year that NU has risen in the annual rankings of 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. Niagara climbed to No. 44 in the North this year based on a calculation that weighs retention, peer assessment, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and the institution’s alumni giving rate.

“We are pleased that the excellent quality of Niagara University’s academic programs and our commitment to affordability, accessibility, veterans and diversity continues 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.”

U.S. News examined 1,800 colleges and universities across the country and assigned rankings to 1,374 schools. The rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 15 measures of academic quality. An emphasis was placed on student outcomes – including graduation and retention rates – which carry the most weight at 30 percent.

The rankings will appear in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Colleges guidebook.

“I encourage parents and students to use the wealth of data and information in Best Collegesto identify schools that suit their specific needs,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “In addition to considering factors like location and cost, families should pay close attention to graduation and retention rates. These are important indicators of how well a school supports its students both academically and financially. Getting into a good school means nothing if you cannot graduate.”