UB again receives its highest rating ever among best public and national universities

For the second successive year, UB has achieved an all-time high ranking among the nation’s best public and national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

UB is rated among the “top 50” public universities in the nation for the fifth straight year, improving three spots to No. 38.

UB also achieved its highest rating ever among the best national universities in the country — public and private — at No. 89, up eight places from last year. Over the past 11 years, UB has risen 32 spots in the rankings. The university will also announce a record number of new students for the 2018-2019 academic year.

The latest rankings were released today in the magazine’s 2019 Best Colleges issue.

U.S. News based its rankings on an assessment of more than 1,600 of the country’s four-year colleges and universities, in addition to data reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

“UB continues to develop innovative academic and academic support programs that meet the needs of students and society,” said Charles F. Zukoski, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

“Because of our excellent programs and faculty, we have significantly enhanced our students’ outcomes and continue to attract excellent new students to UB. We are gratified to receive national recognition for our programs and progress,” Zukoski said.

UB is among a number of public universities that are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) included in the ranking. Other AAU public universities ranked by U.S. News for 2019 include University of California, Berkeley; Michigan; The Ohio State University; Iowa; Indiana; Michigan State; Penn State; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Purdue and Rutgers.

UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is again top ranked by U.S. News, tied at No. 37 for undergraduate engineering programs among public universities at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. The school ranks No. 67, an improvement of three spots, among both public and private universities nationwide.

“Having our school recognized as one of the best in the nation reflects our commitment to fostering a comprehensive and inclusive learning environment for undergraduate students. This includes not only access to world-class faculty and facilities but also programs that support interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning and creative thinking,” said Liesl Folks, dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The UB School of Management is also highly rated, tied at No. 53, among public universities nationally. The school is ranked No. 87 among both public and private universities nationwide, out of more than 800 accredited schools. 

UB’s rise in the rankings this year is due to continued improvement in several of the metrics used by U.S. News. These include academic quality, noting that UB has increased the number of students in the top 10 percent of their class, along with an increase in SAT scores, increasing to 1140-1310 from 1070-1270.

UB also outperformed the graduation rate predicted by U.S. News by 10 percent.

In addition, UB, Purdue, the University of California, Davis and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are tied at No. 3 among national public universities for proportion of international students, with 16 percent. UB also remains in the “top 20” among all national universities for proportion of international students.

UB rose six places, to No. 102, among U.S. News Best Value Schools.

Additionally, U.S. News ranked UB as an A+ school for B students, noting it as a university where students with good grades and a strong aptitude for learning have “a good chance at being accepted and thriving, where spirit and hard work could make all the difference to the admissions office.”