Low-tech edition
Low-tech edition
Lawrence, Kansas
The following is a list of guides that rate the University of Kansas:
1. America's Best Colleges (U.S. News and World Report, August 2003, web site). KU is among the top 50 national public universities, say the editors of U.S. News and World Report. KU tied for 44 th out of 162 national public universities-doctoral. The magazine used academic reputation, retention and graduation rates, and other criteria to determine the rankings of the undergraduate education offered at the nation's great institutions.
The following list contains the KU undergraduate programs (level) that have been ranked:
| Public | Total Public Programs Ranked | Overall | Total Overall Programs Ranked | Year | |
| Pharmacy (PhD) | 20 | 31 | 21 | 36 | 1998 |
| Business (BA) | 33 tied | 01 | 53 tied | 157 | 2003 |
| Engineering (BA) | 40 tied | 75 | 67 tied | 115 | 2003 |
2. America's Best Graduate Schools (U.S. News and World Report, April 7, 2003 issue and web site).
The following list contains all the ranked KU graduate programs (level):
| Public | Total Public Programs Ranked | Overall | Total Overall Programs Ranked | Year | |
| City Management & Urban Policy (MA) | 1 | 21 | 1 | 27 | 2001 |
| Special Education (PhD) | 1 | 17 | 2 | 22 | 2003 |
| Community Health (MA) | 2 tied | 35 | 6 tied | 44 | 2003 |
| Paleontology (PhD) | 3 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 1999 |
| Public Management Administration (MA) | 3 | 27 | 7 | 39 | 2001 |
| Occupational Therapy (MA/PHD) | 3 tied | 28 | 8 tied | 68 | 2001 |
| Speech-Language-Pathology (MA) | 6 | 96 | 7 | 119 | 2000 |
| Audiology (MA/PhD) | 6 tied | 57 | 9 tied | 66 | 2000 |
| Sedimentology/Stratigraphy (PhD) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 1999 |
| Public Affairs (MA) | 7 tied | 82 | 12 tied | 108 | 2001 |
| Public Finance & Budgeting (MA) | 9 tied | 17 | 15 tied | 26 | 2001 |
| Social Work (MA) | 11 tied | 51 | 19 tied | 79 | 2000 |
| Nursing-Midwifery (MA/PhD) | 12 tied | 24 | 17 tied | 39 | 2003 |
| Music (MA) | 12 tied | 68 | 26 tied | 103 | 1997 |
| Physical Therapy (MA/PhD) | 12 tied | 43 | 28 tied | 81 | 2000 |
| Nursing-Anesthesia (MA) | 14 tied | 30 | 25 tied | 70 | 2003 |
| Clinical Psychology (PhD) | 14 tied | 85 | 19 tied | 114 | 2001 |
| Health Services Administration (MA) | 18 tied | 21 | 29 tied | 37 | 2003 |
| Nursing (MA) | 20 tied | 176 | 29 tied | 277 | 2003 |
| Drama/Theatre (MA) | 23 tied | 38 | 37 tied | 55 | 1997 |
| History (PhD) | 23 tied | 56 | 45 tied | 89 | 2001 |
| School of Education - Research (PhD) | 25 tied | 48 | 35 tied | 68 | 2003 |
| Fine Arts (MA) | 26 tied | 89 | 54 tied | 138 | 2003 |
| Political Science (PhD) | 27 tied | 37 | 49 tied | 62 | 2001 |
| Law (JD) | 32 tied | 50 | 64 tied | 100 | 2003 |
| Sociology (PhD) | 33 tied | 43 | 54 tied | 65 | 2001 |
| English (PhD) | 34 tied | 52 | 59 tied | 81 | 2001 |
| School of Medicine - Primary Care | 36 tied | 43 | 51 tied | 66 | 2003 |
| Psychology (PhD) | 37 tied | 119 | 61 tied | 176 | 2001 |
| Chemistry (PhD) | 38 tied | 58 | 58 tied | 89 | 2002 |
| Mathematics (PhD) | 41 tied | 65 | 67 tied | 98 | 2002 |
| Biological Sciences (PhD) | 44 tied | 86 | 75 tied | 137 | 2002 |
| Physics (PhD) | 48 tied | 57 | 77 tied | 88 | 2002 |
| Human Development & Family Life (PhD) | 49 tied | 119 | 80 tied | 176 | 2001 |
| Creative Writing (MA) | 63 tied | 68 | 83 tied | 94 | 1997 |
| Psychology & Research in Education | 103 | 119 | 157 | 176 | 2001 |
School of Education - Teacher Preparation was listed in the top 50 on an alphabetical list, programs were not ranked.
3. Fiske Guide to Colleges 2003 KU has a long history of high rankings in the guide, which profiles 300 of the "best and most interesting" U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities. Each year, it ranks academics, social life, and overall quality of university life on a scale of one to five stars. KU has scored four stars in each category every year since the first edition of the guide was published in 1982. The guide also names KU as one of 21 public universities featured as "best buys, offering remarkable educational values at a relatively modest cost."
4. Barron's Best Buys in College Education (1998 edition, edited by Lucia Solorzano, a former associate editor for U.S. News and World Report.) Describing KU as "the flagship university of Kansas," the book notes that KU "draws bicoastal attention, offering a wealth of big college experiences for a comparatively small price." The guide gives high marks to KU's journalism, engineering, architecture, psychology, biology, theatre, accounting, East European, Russian/Slavic languages programs, and pharmacy.
5. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, November 2003 issue KU ranks as one of the best values in public universities in the nation where students "can get an excellent education for a reasonable price," according to the November 2003 issue of Kiplinger's. KU ranked 22 nd in the nation for in-state students and 26 th in the nation for out-of-state students seeking top universities that "give students the best bang for the buck."
6. America's 100 Best College Buys - 2000 (an annual report published by Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc., an independent research and consulting organization specializing in the recruiting and retention of students for institutions of higher education.) Low tuition and a freshman class with above-average grade-point averages and test scores have placed KU among the nation's "100 best college buys." The report focused on tuition, GPAs, and ACT test scores of incoming freshmen to determine which colleges and universities provided the highest quality in education at the lowest cost. "A college or university does not have to be expensive to be good," said IRE president Lewis T. Lindsey Jr. "In the 1998-99 school year, students attending one of America's 100 Best College Buys saved an average of $2,399 over the national average of one year of college." Sixty-three public and 37 private colleges and universities met the requirements for the report, and 37 states were represented.
7. Kaplan's The Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges, published in 2002 by Simon & Schuster. In a nationwide survey of high school guidance counselors, KU was cited as an "excellent and affordable choice for Midwestern students" and a "best value" in the country. Counselors said students told them KU offered "tremendous athletics and a great assortment of majors at a very attractive price." It highlighted the programs in architecture, pre-med studies, nursing, pharmacy, engineering, and journalism as among KU's best. The guide also calls the Spanish and Portuguese programs "exceptional" and lauds KU faculty as "remarkably accessible." KU students "highly recommend KU's honor program for its small classes and caring advisers."
8. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine, November 2003 issue KU has been selected in the 2003 Publishers Picks list of colleges and universities that do a "fine job recruiting, enabling and graduating Hispanic students." The magazine also named the KU School of Law to its list of top 100 Hispanic-friendly law schools in the nation.
9. Gourman Reports KU supports the Action Committee for Higher Education statement regarding the Gourman Report: "To our knowledge, no higher education association at the national level endorses the report."
Source: University Relations.
Previous stories on KU rankings:
