DSU Ranked #2 on the List of Top Public Comprehensive Colleges in the Midwest

Dakota State University is ranked #2 on the list of top public comprehensive colleges in the Midwest according to the annual America’s Best Colleges survey results released by U.S.News & World Report. DSU moved up two places from a fourth place ranking in 2003. DSU moved in front of both the University of Minnesota, Crookston and Valley City State University, N.D. which ranked ahead of Dakota State last year. Southwest State in Marshall, MN retained its number one ranking.

In reaction to this announcement, Dr. Doug Knowlton, president of DSU stated, “This is very good news for DSU and the state of South Dakota. It is another indication of the excellence of the institution and the recognition by other higher education institutions of the quality of our programs and of the incredible activity taking place here at Dakota State.”

U.S.News categorizes the nation’s schools by mission and region. They then gather data from each college on several measures of academic excellence including graduation and retention rate, student to faculty ratios, and alumni giving. The colleges are also asked to do a peer assessment of the other schools in their category. Scores for each measure are weighted to arrive at the final rankings.

The comprehensive college category includes over 400 schools within four regions; North, South, Midwest and West. Comprehensive colleges offer a range in their degree programs including liberal arts and professional fields such as business and education.