Kearney, Neb. - For the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Nebraska at Kearney as the ninth-best public regional university in the Midwest, UNK said this morning.

Rankings were expanded to a Top 15 list for 2013 from a Top 10 in previous years.

“The three-year continuation of UNK's position as a Top 10 university confirms what our students recognize,” said Chancellor Doug Kristensen. “A UNK education is highly valuable and increasingly acknowledged as such across Nebraska, the region and, in fact, the world.”

The U.S. News & World Report rankings are derived from 11 performance indicators. One indicator is peer assessment, on which UNK experienced significant improvement.

Charles Bicak, senior vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, said he believes higher peer assessments reflect a growing positive awareness of UNK in the region.

“UNK continues to measure better than the average of its peer universities in most categories,” Bicak said. “It is strong validation of the commitment of faculty and staff to our student-centered mission that has led to this success.”

The university's rankings on other indicators remained consistent: freshman retention rate at 80 percent, average graduation rate at 59 percent, student/faculty ratio at 16/1, faculty who are full time at 89 percent, SAT/ACT percentile at 20-25, acceptance rate at 86 percent and average alumni giving rate at 8 percent.

“The 11 indicators included in the rankings encompass factors related to recruiting, retention, academics and alumni giving,” Kristensen said. “The ranking is a testament to the fact that the university — including members of the faculty, staff, administration, the Kearney community and our alumni — are fully engaged and committed to the success of our students and institution.”

1. Truman State U. (Mo.)  

2. U. of Illinois-Springfield

3. U. of Northern Iowa

4. U. of Wisconsin-La Crosse

5. U. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

6. U. of Michigan-Dearborn

7. Grand Valley State U. (Mich.)

8. U. of Minnesota-Duluth

9. U. of Nebraska at Kearney

10. U. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

11. Southern Illinois U.-Edwardsville

12. U. of Wisconsin-Whitewater

13. Western Illinois U.

14. Eastern Illinois U.

15. Winona State U. (Minn.)