UCM Included in Numerous Ranking Categories from U.S. News

 

U.S. News & World Report has included the University of Central Missouri (UCM) among its top-ranked universities in several categories for 2024-25. 

U.S. News & World Report, a resource prospective students and their families use to help determine which institution is the best fit for their higher education needs, released its 40th annual online feature Sept. 24.

UCM was ranked #73 among Regional Universities in the Midwest and #22 among Top Public Schools. Regionally, UCM was also recognized as #61 in Best Value Schools, #34 in Best Colleges for Veterans and the university jumped seven spots to #92 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. The Social Mobility category looks at colleges and universities that advance social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.

Nationally, UCM was recognized as #392 among Nursing programs and #236-286 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. 

U.S. News & World Report collected data on more than 1,800 institutions in the spring and summer of 2024, and nearly 1,500 appear on the rankings lists. According to U.S. News, the annual Best Colleges rankings underwent only slight methodological changes this year. Last year’s rankings saw significant changes.

The rankings were divided into four regions, North, South, Midwest and West. The Midwest Region, according to U.S. News, included 165 public and private institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s programs but few doctoral programs. 

The rankings also include national universities, which are institutions that offer programs ranging from undergraduate majors to doctoral programs and a commitment to groundbreaking research, as well as national liberal arts colleges, which emphasize undergraduate education with about half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.