Ohio Northern University has been ranked No. 2 among Midwest regional colleges in “Best Colleges 2014,” published annually by U.S. News & World Report.

Ohio Northern has appeared in the top 10 of the publication’s Midwest Regional College rankings for the past 22 years and in the top five for the past 10 out of 11 years. Because most of the colleges in the category draw heavily from nearby states, they are ranked by region.

For the sixth time in seven years, ONU’s T.J. Smull College of Engineering placed in the top 50 best undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. The college is accredited by the ABET (formerly known as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) and ranked 33rd among engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s. ONU also was recognized among Midwest regional colleges in the “A-Plus Schools for B Students” category.

“The No. 2 ranking is a tribute to the hard work and accomplishments of our extremely dedicated, highly committed faculty and staff,” said Daniel A. DiBiasio, ONU president. “The U.S. News publication, together with the University being highly rated by other publications like Washington Monthly and The Princeton Review, can affirm the quality and distinctive mix of opportunities offered at ONU.”  

The “Best Colleges 2014” guidebook ranks 367 colleges within four regions: North, South, Midwest and West. The Midwest region is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

U.S. News & World Report offers its publication as a way for students to broaden their college search and make comparisons before visiting and interviewing at appropriate universities. For reporting purposes, the schools are categorized by mission and, in some cases, region. Data is gathered from each college on up to 15 indicators of academic excellence.

Those indicators fall into the following categories: peer assessment, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduate rate performance and alumni giving. The indicators are designed to reflect the school’s student body, its faculty and financial resources and to measure how well the institution educates its students.