For the fifth consecutive year, John Brown University is the top-ranked regional university in Arkansas according to U.S. News and World Report, released today. 

JBU ranked 12th out of 133 southern universities in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Universities list. Other Arkansas schools in the cohort include Harding University, Arkansas State University, University of Central Arkansas, Henderson State University, Arkansas Tech University and Southern Arkansas University.

“We are honored to again be recognized by U.S. News,” said Ed Ericson, vice president for academic affairs. “The faculty and staff at JBU are dedicated to providing students with a rigorous Christian education that prepares them to excel in their chosen field.”

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.

“The past six months have been a clear illustration of the level of dedication of our faculty and staff as they both pivoted to remote education in the spring, and then prepared for in-person education this fall with COVID-19 precautions,” said Dr. Chip Pollard, JBU president. “It is encouraging that U.S. News recognizes JBU’s excellence, but we also see it every day in the faculty and staff’s service to students.” 

U.S. News also recognized JBU as “A School for B Students,” a top school in “Undergraduate Engineering” and a top performer in “Social Mobility,” a category that 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. Arkansas’ top-ranked regional university (U.S. News Best Colleges, 2021), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design.