Dakota Wesleyan University has been ranked among America’s Best Regional Colleges-Midwest, Best Undergraduate Teaching-Regional Colleges Midwest, Best Value Schools-Regional Colleges Midwest, and Top Performers on Social Mobility according to the U.S. News & World Report 2021 Best Colleges Rankings.
This is the eighth time that DWU is ranked as one of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Colleges-Midwest and the fourth time the university has been named a Best Value School. DWU’s ranking in Best Undergraduate Teaching-Regional Colleges Midwest, is the university’s second ranking in that category, and the college makes its debut in the Top Performers on Social Mobility category.
Looking at U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 rankings, DWU moved up from 26th to 23rd in Best Regional Colleges-Midwest, and 30th to 23rd in Best Value Schools, respectively. DWU moved from 9th to 4th place in the Best Undergraduate Teaching rankings.
“Our continued appearance on the U.S. News & World Report list is testament to Dakota Wesleyan’s commitment to academic excellence, personalized learning opportunities and affordability,” said DWU president Dr. Amy Novak. “That we are recognized on a national stage is meaningful to our hard-working faculty, our student body and our successful alumni. To see our university ranked in the top 10 in our region for undergraduate teaching and being ranked No. 23 as a Best Value School reinforces the work we have done to develop applied learning opportunities resulting in strong outcomes.”
According to its website, U.S. News & World Report ranks schools based on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
Adding to its list of accolades, DWU was also recognized this year for several outstanding programs by Intelligent.com.
The university’s Master’s in Education Administration was ranked at No. 5 among the top 50 programs cited nationwide. Furthermore, Intelligent.com recognized DWU for its Best English as a New Language option. Intelligent.com analyzed 324 programs offered by a pool of more than 1,600 accredited colleges and universities.
According to Intelligent.com, each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation and post-graduate employment. The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third-party evaluations. An algorithm is then used which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score, allowing for easy comparison of each university’s degree program.
DWU’s Master’s in Higher Education ranked at No. 11 and its Master’s in Training and Development made the Top 50 at No. 48.
Additionally, the school was named No. 7 on the list of Best Colleges in South Dakota and No. 25 on the list of the 50 Best of Nursing programs.
“These rankings confirm that DWU is maintaining its position at the forefront of innovative and relevant education, producing leaders who are ready for the challenges of the 21st century workplace,” said Novak.