UJ Ranked as Best Academic Institution in the Midwest
University of Jamestown has again been ranked as one of the best academic institutions in the Midwest by both U.S. News and World Report’s “2022 Best Colleges” and The Princeton Review’s “2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region”
Dr. Polly Peterson, University of Jamestown President, credits the Jimmie community as one of the top reasons the University continues to be ranked in these publications. “The University has been blessed to have the support of faculty, staff, and alumni who have helped make UJ a place of distinction in the region,” said Dr. Peterson. “With the addition of new programs, improved facilities and a substantial increase in our endowment, we have achieved significant enrollment growth, improved retention and graduation rates, and acheived a 99% placement rate.”
U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” is the most recognized and popular of all college rankings. The report evaluates colleges and universities annually by assessing criteria such as peer assessment, graduation rate, student/faculty ratios, class size, alumni giving, and student testing scores. Categories are Regional Colleges, Regional Universities, National Universities, and National Liberal Arts Colleges. University of Jamestown stood out specifically in the categories of “Best Regional Colleges,” “Best Value Schools,” and “Top Performers on Social Mobility.”
Dr. Peterson expanded on how the University of Jamestown’s mission differentiates it from other universities, saying, “The University is committed to its mission of blending liberal arts with professional programs in an environment where Christian faith and co-curricular learning are central to the development of a holistic graduate. Being recognized nationally for the successes of our students is an added blessing to our work.”
The 158 colleges that The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Midwest” 2021 list are located in twelve states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Princeton Review also designated 223 colleges in the Northeast, 126 in the West, 143 in the Southeast and 4 in the International region as “best” in their locales on the company’s “2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists. Collectively, the 655 colleges on The Princeton Review’s “regional best” lists for 2022 constitute about 24% of the nation’s 2,700 four-year colleges.
“We chose University of Jamestown and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. He noted that the company considered data from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, information from staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits. “We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences,” Franek added.
The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges on dozens of issues and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review website (PrincetonReview.com/bestMWcolleges).
Some student comments in the profile on University of Jamestown include that the University is “small, friendly, [and has a] family-like environment” where “everyone cares about you” and that “Students fit in really well; there are tons of organizations and opportunities for everyone to find a niche.”
