The university has maintained its place among the nation’s top fifty public institutions, according to US News and World Report‘s 2013 undergraduate rankings released today.
UT ranked 46th among all public universities, and 101st among all national universities, the same as last year. The undergraduate business program’s specialty in supply chain management/logistics is ranked 7th nationally and 5th among public universities, also the same as last year. The overall business program is ranked 27th among public universities, and UT’s undergraduate engineering program is ranked 36th among public universities.
Last year, UT tied with nine other universities in the rankings. This year, UT tied with four: Iowa State University, the University of California-Riverside, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Oklahoma.
The university keeps close tabs on lists such as US News‘ annual rankings as it continues its journey toward being a Top 25 public research university. The Top 25 initiative includes efforts to make strides in recruiting and retaining excellent students, hiring world-class faculty and staff, and strengthening capacity and productivity in research and scholarship.
Areas where UT has improved in US News‘ ranking criteria since last year include the overall graduation rate, reduced class sizes, more faculty resources and financial resources, and the percentage of college freshmen who are in the top ten percent of their high school graduating classes.
“We are pleased with our ranking,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We believe we are doing the right things to move our university forward. We have made progress in all the measures we have set for ourselves; moving up in the rankings is a slow process because it’s a very competitive environment.”
US News and World Report ranks universities based on academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, resources, and alumni giving. The list includes 281 American colleges and universities offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
For more information on the rankings, visit the US News website.
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C O N T A C T :
Karen Simsen (865-974-5186, karen.simsen@tennessee.edu)