In its 2015 edition of America’s Best Colleges, which hit the newsstands on Sept. 9, U.S. News & World Report listed Ozarks fourth overall among the 117 Regional Colleges in the South Region. The overall rankings examine such criteria as academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

It is the 16th consecutive year that Ozarks has been ranked a “top tier” university by the publication. Ozarks moved up two spots from its sixth-place ranking in 2014 and five spots from its ninth-place ranking in 2013.

In addition, Ozarks was ranked fifth in the South Region in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category of the annual late summer publication that analyzes institutions of higher education.

It is the 15th time in the last 16 years that Ozarks has been ranked in the top five of the best value category. The value rankings evaluate the cost of attending a college or university relative to the quality of the institution. According to the magazine, “the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.”

The magazine listed 117 universities in the Regional Colleges category within the 12-state South Region. The South Region consists of colleges and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia.

This year’s 30th edition of America’s Best Colleges includes data on nearly 1,800 colleges and universities. Among the quality factors measured in the rankings are peer assessment, graduation and student retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. U.S. News uses the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to produce categories of rankings for colleges and universities.

Ozarks was also recently ranked highly by another college ranking report.

In August, Washington Monthly listed Ozarks 21st overall among the nation’s Baccalaureate colleges in its 2014 College Rankings edition. It was the third consecutive year that the publication has ranked Ozarks among the nation’s top 25 Baccalaureate colleges. Washington Monthly ranks more than 1,500 colleges and universities on such criteria as recruiting and graduating low-income students and commitment to public service.

“These rankings are a testament to decades of investment by our alumni and friends, coupled with the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty and staff,” said Ozarks President Richard Dunsworth. “We continue to gain recognition locally, regionally and nationally for creating extraordinary learning experiences for our students in a supportive, innovative and Christian environment. We will continue to work hard to cultivate a supportive and dynamic learning environment and to make it accessible to as many students as possible.”