Bradley remains No. 1 in Illinois

Bradley University retained its top ranking in Illinois for colleges and universities of its type and moved up a spot to No. 5 in the Midwest in the 2014 guide to America's Best Colleges from U.S.News & World Report.

The report, released Tuesday, also ranks Bradley as seventh in the "Best Value" category and the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology continues to receive national recognition as one of the best undergraduate engineering programs in the country.

Bradley President Joanne Glasser said the campus is pleased to again be recognized as one of the best institutions in the Midwest by such a highly respected publication.

"Our faculty, administration and staff continue to work diligently to offer students a world-class education that links academic excellence, experiential learning and leadership development," Glasser said in a news release. "Bradley's continual ranking among top colleges and universities, among other key factors, is indicative of our momentum toward becoming an institution of national distinction."

This marks the fifteenth consecutive year Bradley has been ranked by U.S.News & World Report as a top Midwestern university that provides a full range of undergraduate and master's programs.

According to the report, Bradley had the highest graduation rate among the 108 Midwestern universities on the list, nearly 70 percent of freshmen enrolled at Bradley were in the top 25 percent of their high school class, the retention rate for freshmen was 87 percent, and the student/faculty ratio was also among the top at 12:1.

U.S.News & World Report rates hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide and serves as a valuable tool for students and parents when they are making the difficult decision about college. For more information about the methodology used by the magazine as well as seeing the list visit www.usnews.com/bestcolleges.

Bradley also received recognition recently in the Washington Monthly Magazine's Best Bang for the Buck listing. It ranks the economic value students receive per dollar. Learn more on this ranking at http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/bangforbuck_masters_rank.php.

The U.S.News & World Report's ranking, combined with recognition from The Princeton Review, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and other ranking publications, is further independent confirmation that Bradley students are receiving an outstanding educational experience.

Bradley also is listed among the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. The Military Friendly Schools list is available at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com.

not commonly found at large universities.

About the Author

Paul Gordon is the editor of The Peorian after spending 29 years of indentured servitude at the Peoria Journal Star. He’s an award-winning writer, raconteur and song-and-dance man. He also went to a high school whose team name is the Alices (that’s Vincennes Lincoln High School in Indiana; you can look it up).