Dakota Wesleyan University has been ranked among America’s Best Regional Colleges-Midwest, Best Undergraduate Teaching-Regional Colleges Midwest and Best Value Schools-Regional Colleges Midwest, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2020 Best Colleges Rankings.
This is the seventh time that DWU is ranked as one of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Colleges-Midwest and the third time the university has been named a Best Value School. DWU’s ranking in Best Undergraduate Teaching-Regional Colleges Midwest, is the university’s first ranking in that category.
Looking at U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings, DWU went from 28th to 26th in Best Regional Colleges-Midwest, and 30th to 21st in Best Value Schools, respectively. DWU was ranked ninth in the Best Undergraduate Teaching rankings.
“The recognition by U.S News & World Report reflects our continued commitment to academic excellence, personalized learning opportunities and affordability,” said DWU President, Dr. Amy Novak. New facilities complimented by the strong efforts of our faculty and staff continue to be recognized on a national stage. DWU is pleased that this year, the university also was ranked in the top 10 in our region for undergraduate teaching, while being ranked No. 21 as a Best Value School. The upward trends in these areas reflects the university’s continued commitment to applied learning opportunities which have yielded strong outcomes, both in terms of graduate school placement and job placement.”
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 as a Hidden Gem in the Midwest, according to College Raptor’s 2020 rankings.
College Raptor’s website states that schools in the Midwest are often overlooked, and people may miss the beauty of its bustling industries, vital farms, friendly people and some of the best colleges. The following states were included in the rankings as part of the Midwest region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
College Raptor states that in order to qualify as a College Raptor Hidden Gem, schools must meet the following requirements: receive fewer than 5,000 applications and have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students.
The Hidden Gem Rankings are based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics, according to the College Raptor website.
“Overall, these rankings confirm that DWU continues to be at the forefront of delivering top quality, innovative and relevant education to equip leaders for the 21st century workplace,” said Novak.