John Brown University is the highest ranking university in Arkansas according to the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2020 U.S. College Rankings list and the top-ranked regional university in Arkansas according to U.S. News and World Report, released today.
“We are grateful to be recognized by the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report because these rankings are a testament to the caliber of students, faculty and staff at JBU,” said Dr. Chip Pollard, JBU president. “JBU is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and this national recognition underscores our long-standing commitment to providing a rigorous Christian education that prepares students to honor God and serve others.”
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked JBU 328 out of 968 institutions in the nation based on 15 performance indicators. These indicators focused primarily on student success and learning in four key areas: resources available to students, student engagement, student outcomes and learning environment. For more information on The Wall Street Journal methodology, visit www.timeshighereducation.com.
JBU also ranked 11th out of 141 southern universities in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Universities list. That’s up two spots from 2019. This marks the fourth consecutive year JBU is the top-ranked Arkansas school in its cohort, which includes Harding University, Arkansas State University, University of Central Arkansas, Henderson State University, Arkansas Tech University and Southern Arkansas University.
U.S. News & World Report is widely recognized as a leader in higher education rankings and a key resource for a student’s college search. To determine its rankings, U.S. News evaluates graduation and student retention rates, class size, student-to-faculty ratio, SAT and ACT scores, alumni giving rate and peer assessment.
“We are honored by the recognition from both the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News,” said Ed Ericson, vice president for academic affairs. “JBU faculty and staff are committed to equipping students not only with a high standard of academic and professional excellence, but also with values in servant leadership, a nourished spiritual life and a commitment to lifelong learning.”
U.S. News also recognized JBU as “Best Value School,” a top-10 “Best Colleges for Veterans,” a top school in “Undergraduate Teaching” and a top performer in “Social Mobility,” a new category which measures graduation rates for students who have received Pell Grants. For more information on U.S. News’ ranking methodology, visit https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/rankings-methodologies.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. JBU enrolls more than 2,100 students from 38 states and 53 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 43 undergraduate majors, with top programs including engineering, nursing, family and human services, biology, graphic design and construction management. Sixteen graduate programs are available in the areas of business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.