Bradley again named one of the country's best colleges

Bradley University once again scored well in the annual ranking of colleges and universities by U.S. News & World Report.

Bradley was ranked the fourth best college in the 12-state Midwest region and ranked ninth best among Best Value Schools in the country, according to the 31st Annual America’s Best Colleges report by U.S. News. The value ranking recognizes the significant value Bradley offers in the academic experience it provides students, the magazine said, ranking it among the “Great School at a Great Price” universities.

It is the third high ranking Bradley has received recently. The Princeton Review recently included Bradley in its “Best 380 Colleges” guide and Money Magazine included Bradley in its list of “Best Colleges.”

“Our consistent high ranking in national publications such as U.S. News is a testimonial to the exceptional educational experience we offer at the prestigious institution,” said Stan Liberty, Bradley’s interim president.

The only schools that rank ahead of Bradley in the Midwest region at Creighton University in Omaha, Butler University in Indianapolis and Drake University in Des Moines. Of the top four Bradley is the largest by a matter of only a few hundred students but is also the least expensive. The top four ranking is unchanged from last year.

The Midwest region covers, from east to west, the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.

According to the magazine, the regional rankings cover universities that offer a full range of undergrad programs, some master’s programs but few doctoral programs.

The U.S. News rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 16 measures of academic quality. The rankings emphasize outcomes, with graduation and retention rates carrying the most weight in the methodology at 30 percent. The top schools all have high six-year graduation rates and strong freshman retention rates:

• The average six-year graduation rate is 94.5 percent for the top 10 National Universities and 93.1 percent for the top 10 National Liberal Arts Colleges.
• The average freshman retention rate is 97.3 percent for the top 10 National Universities and 96.7 percent for the top 10 National Liberal Arts Colleges.
• For comparison, the average six-year graduation rate among all numerically ranked schools on the National Universities list is 72.6 percent, and the average freshman retention rate is 87.2 percent.
• For comparison, the average six-year graduation rate among all numerically ranked schools on the National Liberal Arts Colleges list is 75.1 percent, and the average freshman retention rate is 86.1 percent.

The magazine named Princeton University the best university in the country.

To see the complete rankings, including the various categories in which schools are ranked, visit http://www.usnews.com/colleges.

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).