UB ranked among nation’s top 50 public universities

In a new survey, The Business Journals (TBJ) has rated UB among the 50 best public colleges and universities in the nation.

UB outperformed 90 percent of the institutions analyzed by TBJ, placing 47th out of 484 public colleges and universities. The full ranking is available here.

TBJ’s 19-part formula gave the highest marks to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities. Each college or university was also rated for affordable tuition and housing.   

“The formula pinpointed the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students,” according to the TBJ editors. “These rankings carry added importance in an era of escalating costs for higher education.”

UB has received several other national recognitions over the past couple of years for the university’s combination of top-notch academics, affordability and low levels of student debt. UB programs that help students minimize their educational costs include Finish in 4, a commitment by the university to help students complete a bachelor’s degree in four years by providing them with the resources they need to achieve this goal. 

“As one of the nation’s top public universities, UB is committed to offering students a transformative educational experience,” says A. Scott Weber, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “We are also very proud of the steps we have taken to ensure that UB students have the support they need to graduate in a timely way and reduce the overall costs of a higher education.”  

From 2010-14, UB has seen measurable improvement in graduation rates and retention, Weber notes. For example:

• UB’s first-to-second-year retention is 88 percent, compared to the national public four-year average of 74 percent.
• UB’s four-year graduation rate has risen from 43 percent to 52 percent, compared to the national public four-year average of 26 percent.
• UB’s six-year graduation rate has risen from 67 percent to 72 percent, compared to the national public four-year average of 48 percent.

The TBJ study was based on the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. College rankings recently issued by four national publications — Forbes, Kiplinger’s, U.S. News and World Report, and Washington Monthly — also were taken into account.