Washington, D.C. – Oregon Institute of Technology earned the #7 spot among Best Regional Colleges in the Western U.S. in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group. In addition, Oregon Tech earned the #42 spot among Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs nationwide. The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges, and will be published in the September issue of U.S.News & World Report, on newsstands starting Aug. 31.
Over the past two decades, the U.S.News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, have grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher-education opportunities.
“We’re very pleased that Oregon Tech is ranked for this school year,” said Oregon Tech President Chris Maples. “Our students and alumni can take great pride in the fact that Oregon Tech is so highly regarded by our peers. The indicators of excellence on which these rankings are based also provide very helpful data for us as we continue to improve the quality of our degrees and look to the future for new degree opportunities and enhanced student experiences.”
The 2011 Best Colleges feature the established rankings of the Best National Universities and Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, while also including rankings of A+ Schools for B Students, Great Schools at Great Prices, and Up-and-Coming Schools, among others.
The 2011 Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, "graduation rate performance" and high school counselor ratings of colleges.
U.S. News has made some significant changes to the 2011 Best Colleges' ranking methodology and presentation. For more details on these changes, go to www.usnews.com/collegemeth. For more information about Best Colleges, visit www.usnews.com/colleges. To access the Premium Online Edition, go to www.usnews.com/collegestore.
