US News and World Report Ratings!

[vu72]

US News Rating are out!

Valpo comes in at #176 among #440 national Universities

In Indiana we come in fourth behind #18 Notre
Dame, #51 Purdue and #72 IU.  Other Indiana Nationals include #202 IUPUI, #212 Ball State, #250 Marian, #263 U of Indy, #331-440, Purdue Global and Indiana State.

As for the Valley Schools:

#1.  UIC  #97
#2.  Drake  #137
#3.  Bradley  #166
#4.  Valpo  #176
#5.  Belmont  #182
#6.  Illinois State  #219
#7.  SIU  #263
#8.  Tie Indiana State and Missouri State  #331-440

Others were ranked regionally as follows:

Evansville  #5 Midwest
UNI   #17  Midwest
Murray State  #23  South

Valpo Engineering #15 undergrad only.

[vu84v2]

US News Rating are out!

Valpo comes in at #176 among #440 national Universities

In Indiana we come in fourth behind #18 Notre
Dame, #51 Purdue and #72 IU.  Other Indiana Nationals include #202 IUPUI, #212 Ball State, #250 Marian, #263 U of Indy, #331-440, Purdue Global and Indiana State.

As for the Valley Schools:

#1.  UIC  #97
#2.  Drake  #137
#3.  Bradley  #166
#4.  Valpo  #176
#5.  Belmont  #182
#6.  Illinois State  #219
#7.  SIU  #263
#8.  Tie Indiana State and Missouri State  #331-440

Others were ranked regionally as follows:

Evansville  #5 Midwest
UNI   #17  Midwest
Murray State  #23  South

Valpo Engineering #15 undergrad only.

Valpo is never going to take the steps to be in the Top #100 as a national university, nor should it take those steps. All universities in the Top #100 place a moderate to substantial emphasis on research in almost every field, which is not consistent with Valparaiso's mission.

What I find disappointing in these results is that Valpo is not ranked in the category of best undergraduate teaching. While I do not know specifically why Valpo is not ranked, the most common reason for a university not being ranked in a category relevant to the university is that the university did not submit the necessary information. Valpo would rank very well in this category if it were ranked and, despite rankings having a variety of general problems, a high ranking in undergraduate teaching would bolster marketing efforts to prospective students and their families.

[vu84v2]

valpo22 - thank you for the clarification. I had no idea that the process for "best undergraduate teaching" was different than many other categories.

You raise some interesting points that the cuts you mentioned may have influenced evaluators recognizing Valpo's excellent teaching. Still, when I looked at this year's list for best undergraduate teaching, I see several universities that had similar cuts. But I agree that, with time, the memory will likely fade - Valpo just needs to promote its strengths more effectively and specifically.

[usc4valpo]

I would love to see the formula which rates Drake so high. I n Iowa, it is easier to get accepted to Drake than it is to get accepted at the state universities (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI). I just don't get it.

[vu72]

I would love to see the formula which rates Drake so high. I n Iowa, it is easier to get accepted to Drake than it is to get accepted at the state universities (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI). I just don't get it.

I remember that you feel strongly about UNI.  The bigger question than how Drake is ranked so highly is why UNI is ranked so low!  When Valpo was in the Midwest rankings we were never lower than 5.  17th for UNI is nothing to write home about.

[78crusader]

Someone will have to explain to me why VU is included in the National University category while Butler is not.

The change that put VU in the National University category instead of the Midwest Regional University category (where Butler is ranked #1) did us no favors. A press release that says "We are #176" isn't very impressive.

Paul

[vu72]

why VU is included in the National University category while Butler is not

I think the only explanation is the much broader graduate programs at Valpo.  We offer probably 20 Masters degree programs and a Doctoral in Health Sciences. I quickly took a look at Butler and they have maybe 5 or 6 masters programs and a Doctoral in Pharmacy.

[vu84v2]

why VU is included in the National University category while Butler is not

I think the only explanation is the much broader graduate programs at Valpo.  We offer probably 20 Masters degree programs and a Doctoral in Health Sciences. I quickly took a look at Butler and they have maybe 5 or 6 masters programs and a Doctoral in Pharmacy.

My understanding is that a university's amount of doctoral granting programs dictates whether US News and World Report considers a university national or regional. Still, I agree that it makes no sense for a university like Valparaiso to be ranked with large flagship state universities. Valpo is a teaching school (and a damn good one), which makes it (and the faculty responsibilities) very different from R1s.

[oklahomamick]

When we were ranked regionally and not nationally......We were ahead of Butler, Drake, Bradley.  Correct me if I'm wrong.   It's been several years and I could be mistaken. 

[crusadermoe]

My  memory is that Creighton dominated at #1 for most of the last decade in the midwest.  Not really fair since they have med school.

Then I think the others you mentioned floated up and down in the next five with Valpo year to year.

[vu84v2]

Latest US News and World Report rankings are out.

Some highlights:
-Valpo is ranked #201 in National Universities (down from #176)
-Engineering program is #14 for engineering programs without a doctoral program
-University if #49 in best value
-25th to 75th percentile ranges for accepted students: SAT 1140-1360, ACT 27-30. This indicates that the university is not admitting weaker students, despite the 94% acceptance rate

Rankings of peer schools (National unless indicated otherwise):
UIC 82
Drake 178
Bradley 185
Illinois State 209
Belmont 236
SIU 280
Missouri State 352
Indiana State 382

Northern Iowa 11 (Regional-Midwest category)
Evansvile 13 (Regional-Midwest category)
Murray State 31 (Regional-South category)

Butler 1 (Regional-Midwest category)
Creighton 124
IU-Northwest 141 (Regional-Midwest category)
Loyola 142
Marquette 86
Notre Dame 20
Oakland 332
Purdue 43
Purdue-Northwest 103 (Regional Midwest category)

[vu84v2]

valpo22 - Great post and questions.

Admittedly, I do not know the percentage of students admitted who did not take and report the SAT or ACT. But I think that it is reasonable to assume that over half did since it is still a fairly common practice for high school students. What you (and perhaps the data) might be illustrating is that the low end is lower and deeper than it was previously (i.e., the students in the first to 25th percentile and some students who did not report the test). To clarify prior comments on students' readiness for college (especially in quantitative areas), we have only seen a slight decline in the average. Instead, we have seen the distribution of first-year student performance change from a normal distribution to more of a flat distribution or even U-shaped distribution which is skewed to the right (more high performance students than low performance students). The reason for this is that there is more support for all students - which makes the good and excellent students better, but does not get to the weaker students (likely due to their maturity). In essence, you go from maybe 8-10% o students who struggle to 15-20%. 

Maybe a better way to phrase what I said before is that Valpo might be taking more students who are at risk of struggling (which I agree is closer to your point). I don't necessarily think this is bad (it can be good for the university and society). But you need a strong support system for these students which includes processes for overcoming maturity issues.

[crusader05]

To reiterate what VU48 has said, I have heard that the gap between those that are ready for college and those that aren't feels a lot deeper. Either due to low preparedness due to large differentiation in High School Experience as well as what seems a tendency to "give up" easier. IE way more people just stop going to class/turning in assignments, than struggling along trying to keep their head above water.

I'd imagine that grade inflation also becomes a bit more of a difficulty to navigate in regards to how many students have GPS buoyed by less onerous work over the past few years. I also feel like this is something that will hopefully decrease as an issue as things "normalize" back to high school students having the more usual experience of full slate of activities, social experiences, and school expectations.

[David81]

Latest US News and World Report rankings are out.

Some highlights:
-Valpo is ranked #201 in National Universities (down from #176)
-Engineering program is #14 for engineering programs without a doctoral program
-University if #49 in best value
-25th to 75th percentile ranges for accepted students: SAT 1140-1360, ACT 27-30. This indicates that the university is not admitting weaker students, despite the 94% acceptance rate

Rankings of peer schools (National unless indicated otherwise):
UIC 82
Drake 178
Bradley 185
Illinois State 209
Belmont 236
SIU 280
Missouri State 352
Indiana State 382

Northern Iowa 11 (Regional-Midwest category)
Evansvile 13 (Regional-Midwest category)
Murray State 31 (Regional-South category)

Butler 1 (Regional-Midwest category)
Creighton 124
IU-Northwest 141 (Regional-Midwest category)
Loyola 142
Marquette 86
Notre Dame 20
Oakland 332
Purdue 43
Purdue-Northwest 103 (Regional Midwest category)

I'd still rather be near the top of the Regional-Midwest category than in a middlin' spot in the National Universities listing. I think it's also a more accurate overall descriptor for the University. I don't know what VU did to cause that category move.

Kudos to Engineering on #14, and nice to be listed among Best Values, given how we've angsted here about tuition & debt.

BTW, if folks want an anecdotal example of how influential these rankings are for applicants, a few years ago, the son of a long-time friend and fellow VU grad opted to pass on VU Engineering (along with admission to Christ College and VU's most generous 4-year merit scholarship) in favor of another engineering program just a few spots up the rankings list, for that reason.

[crusadermoe]

The abandonment of mandatory ACT tests is a huge step backward for the entire U.S. higher education system and for incentivizing high school students to reach upward to difficult classes. 

Now I understand better why Valpo is so quick to assure students that they not only get $25,000 off tuition with a 3.0 GPA but add "no tests required."  They are just in a race to the bottom on both price and verification of their entrants' knowledge. 

The value of an entire industry just keeps sinking.  I bet that the stronger schools with lower acceptance rates still require or encourage ACT/SAT scores.   The chasm between those schools and the Bradley/Valpo types will only grow if this race to the bottom continues.   

   

[vu84v2]

David81 - I fully agree that it would be better to be ranked in the regional category. In the national universities category, Valpo's research productivity, grants, etc. end up being included and compared to much larger and far more research-oriented universities.

crusadermoe - I have some of the same concerns, but many more highly ranked universities also do not require the ACT or SAT. My university is ranked 86 in USNWR and 56 in WSJ and ACT or SAT are optional. For what it is worth, our ACT and SAT ranges are slightly lower than Valpo's and our average GPA is slightly lower (note that high school GPAs are really inflated).