Kent State Ranks as One of the Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report for a Second Straight Year

For the second straight year, Kent State University has earned a place in the Best National Universities category with its inclusion in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Once again, Kent State received a coveted spot in the first-tier list of Best National Universities. The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,500 schools nationwide, are available Sept. 13 at www.usnews.com/colleges  and also will appear in the 350-page 2012 edition of the Best Colleges guidebook, available on newsstands starting Sept. 20. Kent State’s ranking is 194, tied with eight other schools out of more than 1,500 schools.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be one of the most comprehensive research tools for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.

“I am so pleased that U.S. News & World Report has again recognized Kent State as one of the best national universities,” said Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “For two years in a row, we are the only public university in Northeast Ohio to receive a spot in the prestigious first-tier list. As students and parents navigate their way in reviewing options in higher education, Kent State proves once again with this third-party validation that we are a great university that deserves their attention and consideration.”

To assess more than 1,500 of the country’s four-year colleges and universities, U.S. News first assigns each to a group of its peers, based on the categories of higher education institutions developed in 2010 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The National Universities category consists of the 280 institutions (172 public, 101 private and seven for-profit) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.

Data on up to 16 indicators of academic quality are gathered from each institution and tabulated. Schools are ranked in categories by their total weighted score; those receiving the same rank are tied and listed in alphabetical order.

For more information about Best Colleges, visit www.usnews.com/colleges.

For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.

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Photo Caption:
Kent State University students make their way to and from class on the Kent Campus.

Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595