Chapman University rises to sixth spot in U.S. News ranking, named ‘Up and Coming’

Chapman University has risen again in the prestigious rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report.  In the 2013 rankings just released today, Chapman’s ranking climbed to No. 6 in the Western region (it ranked No. 7 last year) out of 121 colleges and universities.

Chapman is also the only university in the Western U.S. to be included in the important U.S. News ranking of “Up and Coming Universities,” and is the nation’s only university to be included on the “Up-and-Coming” list every year since the list first appeared in 2008.  “Up-and-Coming” universities are those most often cited by peers as having made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, student life, campus and facilities.

“The steady U.S. News ranking increase that Chapman has achieved over the past 22 years is a feat unmatched by any other university in the nation,” said Chapman President James L. Doti, who noted that Chapman has moved from a third-tier rank of 61 in 1991 to a top-tier rank of 6 in 2012.

“We are pleased and proud that Chapman’s commitment to academic excellence and student success has been recognized in this way by U.S. News,” Dr. Doti added. “This honor affirms the hard work and commitment to excellence of our faculty and staff, as well as reflecting the steadily increasing quality of our students and recent and upcoming enhancements to our campus and academic programs.”

He cited as examples that Chapman is constructing a new classroom building in its historic center; just broke ground on its new $64 million, 1,050-seat Musco Center for the Arts; and will begin work soon on a new studio facility for its film school and a new residence hall.  A fundraising campaign to build a new $100 million, state-of-the-art science center is underway, and there are plans to expand Chapman’s burgeoning health sciences programs to a new classroom and laboratory facility in Irvine.

Released to the media and public on Wednesday, Sept. 12 via USNews.com, the rankings are scheduled to be published in the next issue of U.S. News & World Report and in the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook.

The U.S. News list is arguably the most influential and accessible college ranking system in the country.  U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” ranks colleges and universities by region and degree classification.  The total score that each institution receives from U.S. News is based on these criteria: peer assessment, graduation and retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving rate. The rankings provide prospective students a comparison of schools based on these various pieces of data.