SRU climbs U.S. News’ rankings of Best Regional Universities for 2025

Sept. 25, 2024

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University continues to climb the rankings published in the U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Colleges guidebook. In the 2024-25 rankings released Sept. 24, SRU ranked 44th on the "Best Regional Universities North"  list, up six spots after cracking the Top 50 for the first time last year.

Also within the North Region, U.S. News ranked SRU 16th among Top Public Schools, 31st for Best Value Universities and 18th on the list of Best Colleges for Veterans, all increases from last year.

SRU debuted on two rankings this year. It ranked eighth on U.S. News' Most Innovative Schools in the North, a ranking of institutions making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities. SRU also placed ninth on the list for Best Undergraduate Teaching in the North, comprised of schools that received the most votes from top college administrators for putting a particular focus on undergraduate teaching.

SRU was once again recognized by U.S. News on the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility in the North (#99) and on the list of Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (#205).

This year marks the 16th straight year that SRU received Best Regional University recognition from U.S. News, which annually ranks colleges and universities across the country as part of its Best College guidebook. This guidebook is used by thousands of prospective students and their families to better understand their higher education options. 

U.S. News groups institutions into four categories (National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges) and within the Regional Universities group the rankings are split by four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.

The U.S. News & World Report considers SRU a regional university, one that offers a full range of undergraduate programs, some master's programs and a few doctoral programs. SRU is part of the North region, consisting of 11 states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and the six New England states.

Public schools, as defined by the publication, are typically operated under the supervision of the state government and are at least partially funded by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. They include everything from small liberal arts colleges to large research institutions.

U.S. News evaluated nearly 1,500 four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions on 17 measures reflecting academic quality and graduate outcomes. Among the indicators are "social mobility," for which U.S. News publishes a distinct ranking. Social mobility measures how well schools graduate students who received federal Pell Grants, as well as borrower debt and earning potential compared to high school graduates.

More information about the Best College rankings, including the methodology, are available on the U.S. News & World Report website. The Best Colleges guidebook will be available for purchase in late October.

MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 |  [email protected]