By Sarah Rutledge and Pulse Staff

rutledges@findlay.edu

This is the 20^th consecutive year for University of Findlay to appear in the rankings of a national poll from the U.S. News and World Report. UF is in the top 21% at 373 out of 1,789 best schools in the National Universities category.

In comparison, Miami University of Oxford, OH, received a score of 143, Case Western Reserve University came in at 51, and The Ohio State University at 41. Nationally, the top three universities were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and Harvard University.

“When I was a prospective student, I did not really consider looking at the rankings. I knew that there were a lot of different criteria that were evaluated, so I found a school that just felt right for me,” said Lydia Highben, a junior business administration-sport business major.

“I never even considered looking at the rankings. As a former student-athlete, my decision process was a little different anyway,” Delaney Thomas, a senior mathematics major said.

U.S. News looked at more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities this year, “using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success,” according to the report.

Erin Randall, director of undergraduate admissions, says the University uses the rankings as a tool in the recruitment process.

“We do use rankings on our website, to show  students that we are ranked,” Randall said. “We try to show the whole college process, not just one aspect.”

Recruitment is crucial to the survival of higher education institutions. The battle to keep schools open is more difficult these days.

Between 2010 and 2021, there has been a 15% decline in student enrollment according to the There has also been a decline in the perception of how important having a college education is. According to a May 2024 Pew Research Study, one in four Americans now says that having a college degree is extremely or very important, about a third say a college degree is somewhat important, while 40% say it’s not too or not at all important. When there is not as much importance placed on a post-secondary education, there is less motivation for prospective students.

Fewer applicants and fewer enrollments can lead to shut down for some schools. Since 2020, more than 84 colleges and universities have shut down according to bestcolleges.com. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia estimates several more closures before the end of the 2025 school year.

There are a variety of categories in the to rank Universities. UF is in the National Universities category. Those schools “offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs. These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.”

Just to the south of UF, Ohio Northern University ranked #1 out of 89 colleges in the Midwest Regional Colleges category.

Colleges in the Regional Colleges category focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. These rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.

U.S. News ranked 207 schools in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category which emphasizes undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.