JMU No. 2 Best Public Regional U. in the South; No. 2 Most Innovative

The U.S. News' 2019 College Rankings are out, and JMU has again ranked highly in multiple categories.

No. 2 Best Public Regional University in the South

Regional universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and provide graduate education at the master's level, but differ from National Universities in that they offer few, if any, doctoral programs. JMU again ranked as the No. 2 Best Public Regional University in the South, second only to The Citadel, for the second year in a row.

Rankings are based on several key measures of quality. Weighted most heavily are graduation and retention rates, which indicate how successful a school is at offering the classes and services students need to succeed. This year, methodology was updated to place more emphasis on how well schools support low-income students through graduation, by looking at indicators such as the graduation rates of students who receive federal Pell Grants. JMU’s average first-year retention rate is 91 percent, and the six-year graduation rate is 82 percent.

Assessments of the institution by other universities’ presidents, provosts and deans of admission accounted for qualitative attributes of institutions, such as faculty dedication to teaching, and were weighted heavily, as were faculty resources. Faculty resources speak to students’ contact professors. JMU’s student to faculty ratio is 16-to-1.

Also examined was student selectivity, or the abilities and ambitions of the students; financial resources, or per-student spending; and alumni giving, or the average percentage of living alumni who give to their school.

No. 2 Most Innovative Regional University in the South

College presidents, provosts and admissions deans were asked to name the institutions they think are the making the most innovative improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and/or facilities. This ranking is acknowledgment from JMU’s peer institutions of the cutting-edge changes happening on campus, and aligns fully with the university’s core quality of innovation. JMU tied with one other school to place No. 2, up from No. 3 last year.

No. 108 Best Undergraduate Business Program

Each year, U.S. News ranks undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The results are based solely on surveys of business school deans and senior faculty. JMU tied with 18 other schools to place No. 108, up from No. 109 last year.

No. 30 Best Undergraduate Engineering Program (at Engineering Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Bachelor’s or Master’s)

U.S. News ranks undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET. The rankings are based solely on surveys of engineering deans and senior faculty at accredited programs. JMU tied with four other schools to place No. 30, up from No. 38 last year.

Additionally, JMU was recognized by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans at peer institutions as having a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. JMU was also recognized as a best value? The calculation used takes into account a school's academic quality and cost of attendance.