U.S. News & World Report gives UIS top ranking for the fourth consecutive year

U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 Edition of America’s Best Colleges ranks the University of Illinois Springfield as the top regional public university in the state of Illinois and the fourth best public university in that category in the entire Midwest. This is the fourth straight year that UIS has achieved those rankings.

The prestigious rankings placed UIS at 28 on a list of 155 top public and private colleges and universities in the 12-state Midwest region that includes, in addition to Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota.

“We are proud to be among the best in the country as we continue to strive towards helping more students obtain a high quality education,” said University of Illinois Vice President and UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. “Our ranking is a reflection of the commitment to students that is central to the work of our faculty and staff and to the quality of educational experience that we continually strive to provide.”

The rankings are based on several key measures of quality including assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

UIS is known around the world as the liberal arts campus of the University of Illinois. The campus offers 23 bachelor’s degree programs, 20 master’s programs and 1 doctoral program. Students thrive in small classes and engage the world through relevant courses and internships. UIS is recognized for preparing leaders for government and public service, and is nationally known for online learning. UIS has four colleges: business and management; education and human services; liberal arts and sciences; and public affairs and administration.

The University of Illinois Springfield is one of three campuses of the University of Illinois. The U of I has campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield with a total enrollment on-campus and online of approximately 79,000.

For more information contact Derek Schnapp, director of public relations at 217/206-6716 or email dschn3@uis.edu.