U.S. News names Huntington a top Midwest college

HUNTINGTON, Ind. Huntington University remains one of the top colleges in America, according to U.S. News & World Report.

In results released today, U.S. News named Huntington a top-three school in Indiana and No. 16 in the Midwest in the 2014 edition of the magazine's guide to the nation's Best Colleges.

"Our faculty and staff work hard to make sure that our educational program works for students helps them start careers, serve their communities, and lead fulfilling lives," said Dr. Del Doughty, interim senior vice president for academic affairs. "This recognition from U.S. News is a welcome confirmation of our efforts."

U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked Huntington among the Midwest's best colleges. This is the 14th consecutive year that the university was listed among the top 20 schools in the Midwest. For the sixth year in a row, Forbes and The Princeton Review have named Huntington one of the top colleges in the country and the Midwest, respectively.

To rank schools, U.S. News first organizes colleges and universities by category and then ranks them within each group. According U.S. News, which follows the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, regional colleges "focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines; this category also includes schools that have small bachelor's degree programs but primarily grant two-year associate degrees." Rankings are based on the following criteria: graduation and retention rates (22.5 percent), peer assessment (22.5 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (12.5 percent), financial resources (10 percent), graduation rate performance (7.5 percent), and alumni giving (5 percent).

All U.S. News rankings are available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.