Officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are pleased to announce that the institution has garnered a fourth top ranking from U.S. News and World Report as one of the Best Colleges for Veterans among Regional Colleges in the North. U.S. News and World Report released its inaugural Best Colleges for Veterans rankings on Nov. 11. The rankings spotlight institutions that are helping veterans pursue a college education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.
“We are very pleased to have U.S. News and World Report spotlight us again, and are especially honored to be recognized for our work with our veterans,” UMPI President Linda Schott said. “This recognition really speaks to the work we’re doing in terms of resources for veterans and academic quality. We’ve always been committed to ensuring that our veterans are successful while here on campus, so it’s wonderful to have that reinforced by this kind of national distinction.”
In its Best Colleges for Veterans list, U.S. News recognizes top-ranked schools in the Best Colleges rankings that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees. UMPI was ranked #12 on the Regional Colleges in the North list.
In total, there were 234 ranked schools across all 10 U.S. News ranking categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities (North, South, Midwest and West) and Regional Colleges (North, South, Midwest and West).The North region includes 11 states.
According to U.S. News and World Report, all of the Best Colleges for Veterans scored well in terms of graduation rate, faculty resources, reputation and other markers of academic quality in the 2014 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges. To qualify for the new rankings, the schools had to be certified for the GI Bill® and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.
This ranking marks the fourth time this fall that UMPI has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report. In September, UMPI received three top rankings on U.S. News and World Report’s 2014 Best Colleges list. UMPI was named among the 50 Best Regional Colleges in the North, among the 15 Top Public Schools in the North, and among the top 5 Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with least debt. In the “least debt” category, UMPI was the only Maine institution and the only public college among the 11 states in the North region that made the list.
U.S. News and World Report has published its Best Colleges rankings since 1983. According to its website, the rankings provide an excellent starting point for families searching for the best academic value for their money and allow them to compare, at a glance, the relative quality of institutions based on such widely accepted indicators of excellence as freshman retention and graduation rates and the strength of the faculty.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
