UP is on the “up and up,” according to the U.S. News & World Report.
Every year, the U.S. News & World Report evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities based on their academic quality and graduate success.
For over 30 years, the University of Portland has been placed among the top universities in the “Regional Universities West” category, and ranked No. 1 in 2022.
But this fall, UP is graduating to a new class: the “National Universities” category.
UP joins over 400 of the nation’s best universities in this category, chosen by the U.S. News & World Report for their selection of undergraduate majors, masters and doctoral programs and production of faculty research, according to their methodology.
Director of Public Affairs Dan Christopherson says that UP belongs in the national conversation. He points to the athletics program’s success at the Division I level, the university’s wide variety of undergraduate majors and its acclaimed production of top scholars.
“The bottom line is we're one of the best universities in the country,” Christopherson said. “Our students know that. But this is a way of indicating to prospective students and families that we're here in Portland, and they should get to know us.”
He adds that the university has historically been put at the top of lists such as Forbes, The Princeton Review and The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. News placement is just one of a “myriad” of ways that UP is ranked.
Some of UP’s highest-scoring attributes in the most recent U.S News rankings include its 70% graduation rate, a 9-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and a $67,913 median salary for alumni after six years.
UP is well known for its comprehensive undergraduate programs. The School of Nursing & Health Innovations features the state’s first fully accredited simulated health center, the School of Business offers students robust paths from internships to full-time employment and the Shiley School of Engineering emphasizes innovative capstone projects and faculty-led research opportunities, according to the UP website.
Junior nursing major Hope Hepburn is a tour guide and student ambassador for the Office of Admissions. She says that she uses personal experiences and UP’s rankings to “sell” the experience to prospective students and families.
“We love to quote our rankings,” Hepburn said. “We talk a lot about how we were ranked ‘Best in the West’ and that we’re moving up to the national level. And we’re also told to share our own experiences. So since I’m a nursing major, I always shout out our simulation lab and different nursing opportunities.”
Moving onto the national stage means that UP’s programs and successes will be put under a bigger spotlight. And while President Robert Kelly says that being compared to the nation’s top universities presents a new challenge, he is confident that UP will rank well.
“We're excited about it,” Kelly said. “For so long we’ve thought of ourselves as a No. 1 or No. 2 regional university, and now we’re comparing ourselves with some of the elite universities of our country.”
Kelly sees this as an opportunity to look ahead as the university celebrates its 125th anniversary. The first national ranking in the U.S News & World Report will be released in September.
Brady McCracken is a news reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at mccracke27@up.edu
