Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is recognized among the best regional universities in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, released today.
PNW is ranked No. 26 among the Best Engineering Programs, of engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Purdue Northwest’s undergraduate business program also is recognized as one of the top programs among those accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
“These high-performing academic programs demonstrate Purdue Northwest’s commitment to academic excellence, and this recognition is further authentication of the quality of our faculty members, facilities and the education our students receive,” PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon said. “PNW is proud to be recognized among such significant higher education peers.”
Best Engineering Programs U.S. News ranks undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET. The rankings are based on surveys of engineering deans and senior faculty at accredited programs. PNW received a 3.2 peer assessment score on a 5-point scale.
The following table shows PNW listed alongside some other comparably-ranked engineering programs. (Please note these are not the complete listings. For the full listings please see www.usnews.com/colleges.)
Best Business Programs
U.S. News ranks undergraduate business programs based on surveys of business school deans and senior faculty. PNW received a 2.6 peer assessment score on a 5-point scale.
The following table shows PNW listed alongside some other comparably-ranked business programs. (Please note these are not the complete listings. For the full listings please see www.usnews.com/colleges.)
Best Regional Universities
Keon noted that PNW’s student population has been changing over the past several years. The current freshman class of approximately 1,080 students is 95 percent full time. Of the total undergraduate student body of some 15,000 students, 79 percent attend full time. More than 73 percent of the freshman class is age 18 or younger and 96 percent of the class is age 20 or younger.
“The quality of our students continues to go up year after year,” Keon added. “This year’s freshman class had an average ACT score of 22 and an average high school grade point average of 3.17. Moreover, freshman year retention is up 8 percent from last year and is the highest ever in the history of our campuses.”
Institutions included in the U.S. News listing of Best Regional Universities provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s degree programs. PNW offers one doctoral program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice; most regional universities offer few, if any, doctoral programs, which is a primary difference between the regional universities and the national universities in the U.S. News Best College listings.
PNW is included with Midwest regional universities and received a 2.8 peer assessment score on a 5-point scale, which is the highest score of any unranked Midwest regional university.
The following table shows PNW listed alongside some other Midwest universities. (Please note these are not the complete listings. For the full listings please see www.usnews.com/colleges.)
PNW had the highest peer assessment score among unranked Midwest regional universities
Purdue University Northwest
Purdue University Northwest (PNW), a comprehensive regional university within the Purdue University system, has two Northwest Indiana campuses in Hammond and Westville. With approximately 15,000 students and more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Purdue Northwest is Indiana’s fifth largest public university. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.
