For its 14th consecutive year, Creighton University has been ranked the No. 1 regional university in the Midwest, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“[The ranking is] typically going to be [based on] retention rates, graduation rates, there is a peer rating, where it’s the respect of Creighton from other universities, average test scores,” said Joe Bezousek, Associate Director of Admissions. “So it’s highly academic as well as reputation based.”

The U.S. News & World Report’s website explains the ranking system which incorporates “indicators used to capture academic quality fall into a number of categories: graduation and first-year student retention rates, assessment by administrators at peer institutions, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, graduation rate performance.”

The top five Midwest Universities of 2017 include: Creighton University, Butler University, Drake University, Valparaiso University, Xavier University and Bradley University, with Valparaiso and Xavier tied for fourth.

Doug Dolan, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that the ranking indicates Creighton’s commitment to education and development of all parts of the student.

“I think [the ranking is] important because it shows the amount of work Creighton puts into its academics,” Dolan said. “I think its academic record speaks for itself, but also the extracurricular [activities] are very involved. It shows how its Jesuit values drive the school.”

 Bezousek said that he is typically asked why Creighton is ranked as a regional university instead of a national university. According to the U.S. News & World Report’s website, “regional universities offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master’s degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.” 

 “While we have a lot of professional schools and we’re probably one of the most comprehensive universities in the country based on the professional schools we offer, it’s just that there isn’t the plethora of Ph.D.s that there might be at bigger schools,” Bezousek said. 

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Caitlin McFadden feels that the community Creighton fosters makes up for the lack of Ph.D. programs.

“I really like the size and not just the campus size but the class sizes in my classrooms,” McFadden said. “I really know the professors and the professors see me on campus and say ‘Hey,’ whereas at a state school they wouldn’t even know my name half the time.”

Bezousek explains that rankings are helpful because they give students a source of comparison between institutions.

“We can compare ourselves because we’re so national,” Bezousek said. “We’re only 18 percent from Nebraska, and when we’re out in California, North Carolina, or Hawaii it’s nice to say, ‘Yes we’re No. 1 in the Midwest and here are the other number one institutions around the country,’ so they can get a comparison of what Creighton is like compared to other schools they may be more familiar with.” 

There are four regions that are encompassed in the Regional University category: North, South, Midwest, and West. The other No. 1 universities that compare to Creighton include Providence College of the north, Elon University of the south and Trinity University of the west. 

Though rankings are important, Bezousek acknowledges that there are other aspects of a school that are not directly evaluated in rankings. 

“Ultimately, in admissions, we tell students that, ‘you know we’re strong because of the ranking, but you pick a school based on that strong academic base but also where you feel is a strong thriving community,” Bezousek said. “And I think that’s where students love Creighton, because of the community, the ranking just justifies it.”