KU climbs to 53rd among public universities in 2018 U.S. News & World Report rankings

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas moved up three spots into a tie for 53rd among public universities in the 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings released Tuesday.

“We know that rankings matter because parents and students look to them to see how we’re performing, and we’re always happy to improve our standing,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “Still, our focus remains on broader efforts. We will continue to emphasize improving the student experience, reaching out to the state of Kansas and bolstering our research enterprise.”

The university’s rise in the rankings came as KU has increased graduation rates in recent years. KU has undertaken efforts to improve student retention and graduation through the Office of Undergraduate Studies and across the entire university.

“Our past and current efforts to ensure more KU students progress toward their degree are showing positive results,” said Neeli Bendapudi, provost and executive vice chancellor. “Through the KU Core, which focuses on the total educational experience, and a number of student-support initiatives, we are improving our students’ ability to graduate and to graduate on time. Because our long-term efforts take years to show success, I am truly excited to see where we’ll be next year and the year after.” 

In other U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday, KU’s undergraduate ranking for the School of Business climbed 14 spots among public universities into a tie for 27th. The School of Engineering fell three spots into a tie for 47th among public schools.

KU also earned rankings among public universities of 22nd in the Best Value Schools list and a tie for 41st in the Best Colleges for Veterans list. 

U.S. News & World Report releases graduate school rankings in the spring. KU had 42 graduate programs ranked in the top 50 among public universities this year.