SRU named a top 50 ‘Best Regional University’ in 2024 U.S. News Best College rankings
Slippery Rock University ranked 50th on the “Best Regional Universities North” by U.S. News & World Report.
Sept. 19, 2023
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University was recognized within several rankings published in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Colleges guidebook. SRU ranked 50th on the "Best Regional Universities North" list, up 35 spots from last year, and 17th for "Top Public Schools - Regional Universities North." SRU also ranked 22nd among regional universities in the North for "Best Colleges for Veterans."
SRU also ranked 42nd in "Best Value Schools" and 85th for "Top Performers on Social Mobility" within the North region. SRU's engineering programs were recognized for the first time, debuting at No. 155 on the "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs list," comprised of the top programs in the country at schools where doctorate degrees in engineering are not offered.
This year marks the 15th straight year that SRU received Best Regional University recognition from U.S. News, which annually ranks colleges and universities across the country as part of its Best College guidebook. This guidebook is used by thousands of prospective students and their families to better understand their higher education options.
U.S. News groups institutions into four categories (National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges) and within the Regional Universities group the rankings are split by four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.
The U.S. News & World Report considers SRU a regional university, one that offers a full range of undergraduate programs, some master's programs and a few doctoral programs. SRU is part of the North region, consisting of 11 states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and the six New England states.
Public schools, as defined by the publication, are typically operated under the supervision of the state government and are at least partially funded by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. They include everything from small liberal arts colleges to large research institutions.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 1,500 four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions on as many as 19 measures reflecting academic quality and graduate outcomes. Among the indicators are "social mobility," for which U.S. News publishes a distinct ranking. Social mobility measures how well schools graduate students who received federal Pell Grants, as well as borrower debt and earning potential compared to high school graduates.
More information about the 2023-24 Best College rankings, including the methodology, are available on the U.S. News & World Report website. The Best Colleges guidebook will be available for purchase in late October.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 | justin.zackal@sru.edu