U.S. News & World Report Ranks UofM in Top Tier in Public Universities
September 9, 2019 - The latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) put the University of Memphis in the top tier for public universities.
In this year’s rankings for top public universities, the UofM is ranked No. 135. Only two other Tennessee public universities are ranked in the top tier – the University of Tennessee Knoxville and Tennessee Tech.
“First, many across the country simply were unaware of the great work being done on our campus and in our community,” said UofM President M. David Rudd. “Second, the USNWR rankings are both highly visible and arguably the single most frequently used resource by students and parents in making college decisions.”
Unranked five years ago among national and public universities, the UofM decided to form a working group to address the challenge.
“The goal was simple: help our peers understand and recognize the great work being done on our campus,” said Rudd. “We have made steady gains since the group started working.”
In the past two years, the UofM has been included in USNWR Tier 2 for national universities (between 290-381), but did not receive individual recognition in the top public schools category since only the top tier is ranked.
“This is great movement for the University of Memphis and the result of hard work by so many,” Rudd concluded. “It is rewarding to see the rest of the country start to recognize what we have known for many years, that the University of Memphis is a great University and some remarkable work is being done on our campus and in our community. We are by no means done. Our next step is to move into the top 100 nationally.”
Enrollment for the fall 2019 semester is 22,152, the first time the University has exceeded 22,000 since 2012. This year’s freshman class is the largest in UofM history and the most qualified, with one out of four students joining the Honors College.