Officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are pleased to announce that the institution earned four top rankings on U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 Best Colleges list. In this year’s annual rankings, UMPI was named among the 50 Best Regional Colleges in the North, the 15 Top Public Schools in the North, and the top 10 Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with least debt.
“We are so pleased to be recognized in this year’s U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges List and are very honored to have received four rankings for the hard work we do as an institution to provide a high quality and low cost education for our students,” UMPI President Linda Schott said. “We’re dedicated to offering an education that puts the student first—both in terms of personalized learning where they have a voice and choice in what and how they learn, and in terms of affordability through excellent financial aid opportunities and low tuition.”
In its Best Regional Colleges in the North ranking, UMPI was listed as #40, moving up 6 spots and earning first tier status. The ranking defines regional colleges as schools that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The north region includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
UMPI was listed as #15 in the Top Public Schools ranking list for Regional Colleges in the North. The ranking defines public colleges and universities as those that are typically operated under the supervision of state governments and funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. Such universities often offer free or discounted tuition to students considered residents of the state.
In its third ranking, the University was short-listed among Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with the least debt. U.S. News compiled a list of schools whose Class of 2014 graduated with the lightest debt load. The data included loans taken out by students from their colleges, from private financial institutions, and from federal, state, and local governments. UMPI came in at #7 after the United States Coast Guard Academy (CT), United States Merchant Marine Academy (NY), SUNY College of Technology (NY), Farmingdale State College-SUNY (NY), Cooper Union (NY), and Vermont Technical College (VT).
Garnering its fourth top ranking, UMPI was #31 in the Best Colleges for Veterans among Regional Colleges in the North listing. This ranking spotlights institutions that are helping veterans to pursue a college education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Specifically, this list recognizes schools that participate in federal initiatives to help veterans and active service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees.
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.