Auburn University was ranked at the number one position for colleges in the state of Alabama according to U.S. News and World Report. The outlet's yearly rankings come out every September, and among the rankings, Auburn has been ranked number one several times since the 1990s.
On the morning of Sept. 18, 2023, U.S. News and World Report reported their national, regional and state rankings for public and private institutions around the U.S. Within the state of Alabama, Auburn has been ranked number one for the 2023-24 school year.
Overtoun Jenda, assistant provost of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, gave his insight into what these rankings mean to him.
“It’s exciting for the University. I feel proud because of the work that Auburn University has put in, especially on retaining students on campus. The University deserves it,” Jenda said.
U.S. News and World Report also ranked Auburn in the top 100 universities at the national level, taking spot 93 on their list, as well as spot 42 on their list of top public universities in the country.
U.S. News and World Report uses 18 factors to decide where to rank colleges. These factors may include but are not limited to: admission, graduates, resources, surrounding area, costs, scholarships and faculty performance.
Diversity was also a factor that U.S. News and World Report considered within their ranking. Jenda also worked in Auburn’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity from the late 80s to the late 2010s, and he gave his solution to falling numbers of underrepresented students on campus.
“Could we do better? Definitely. If you look at the numbers, they don’t reflect the percentage for the state. There’s a lot of room for improvement. We need to do a better job bringing them on campus,” Jenda said. “We need to be reaching out to these underserved populations. We call these students 'missing millions.' There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Numbers from past rankings are compared to more recent numbers. Returning, admitted and applying students are all considered when determining how the rank is completed.
The University expects higher numbers of applicants and acceptances for each year dependent not only on these rankings, but also overall outreach and reputation among the school itself, alumni and current students.
Niche, a school rating website, rates K-12 schools as well as colleges around the world. Niche breaks down the ranking that Auburn has received into a grade score based on the U.S. News and World Report scale. They also gave Auburn a number one ranking and an overall grade of an A.
They give grades based on four factors broken down into eight categories and ended up with something considerably similar to U.S. News and World Report.
“Those rankings reflect a land grant mission. We focus on helping our students succeed, quality of research and instruction on campus. In that, I think we’re doing very well; we’re very strong there. I think those rankings will stay high,” Jenda said. “If we make students feel at home on campus, that is very important; they’re happier, they work harder, they get better grades. So really, credit should go to students and faculty. The rest of us just manage.”
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Brychelle Brooks is a sophomore majoring in public and professional writing. She has been with The Plainsman since August 2023.
