For the past 16 years, US News has ranked Creighton University the No. 1 University in the Midwest. This has been something professors and students have taken pride in. After all, there is only one top spot. Or so we thought.
For the first time, the ranking of the Best Midwest Universities resulted in a tie, with Creighton University and Butler University sharing the title. This alone would be enough to create some sort for rivalry between two universities.
The comparison of Creighton and Butler is an interesting one – both schools are members of the NCAA Big East Division 1 Conference and regularly compete against each other in athletics. Just this weekend, Creighton defeated Butler 3-0 in Men’s soccer.
With this recent result from US News, this rivalry, may become even stronger, with both the athletic programs and universities as a whole competing.
US News uses 16 different factors to rank their schools so that prospective students can make their choices easier. Of the 16, seven factors seemed most relevant to students.
The first factor in comparing the two schools is the four-year graduation rate. In this measurement, Creighton bests Butler with a 73 percent graduation rate while Butler displayed a 63 percent graduation rate.
Creighton and Butler were deadlocked in a tie on three academic factors, student to faculty ratio, first year retention rate, and average incoming ACT composite.
Finally, Creighton broke the tie in the fifth factor, which is the percentage of students that have financial need fully met. Creighton scored a 25.9 percent while Butler scored an 11.4 percent.
Creighton also came out on top in the sixth factor, the average indebtedness of the 2017 graduating class. 2017 Creighton graduates averaged $35,766 in debt, while Butler students averaged $40,393.
The seventh and final factor, average alumni starting salary, also saw Creighton coming out on top. Creighton graduates averaged a starting salary of $50,700 while Butler graduates averaged $48,100.
You may be looking at these statistics and wondering how Creighton and Butler tied for first, and you are not alone.
Heider College of Business junior Morgan Crockett, who works in the Admissions Office here at Creighton, wondered how Creighton could best Butler in four of the seven main categories and still come out with tied for No. 1.
“We aren’t worried about tying for No. 1. Creighton is going to continue to attract the amazing students it has in the past. And as for Butler, we are glad another Big East school is being recognized not just for their great athletics, but also their academics, faculty and students,” Crockett said regarding the atmosphere within the Admissions office.
So for now, it appears Creighton will have to share the glory of being the No. 1 US News ranked university in the Midwest. As for next year, may the best in the Midwest take home the crown.