With the September release of U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings, the University of Denver posted double-digit gains over last year’s performance, leaping from No. 97 to No. 80 on the list of the nation’s top 400 national universities. DU is the highest rated institution in Colorado.
The jump is largely attributable to improvements in several of the six categories U.S. News uses to determine rankings: outcomes, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence and alumni giving. For example, in the faculty resources category—which considers everything from class size to faculty salaries—DU rose to 32 from 77. Meanwhile, the category reflecting expert opinion showed improvement thanks to a peer-assessment score that rose from 3.0 to 3.1.
“It is rewarding to see our peers recognize the amazing work being accomplished by our students, faculty and staff,” says Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. “So much of everything we do is focused on furthering our faculty’s research and achieving the best possible outcome for our students.”