Oregon Institute of Technology earned the # 8 spot among baccalaureate colleges in the western region in the 2012 U.S. News & World Report 2012 edition of “Best Colleges” by U.S. News Media Group.
Oregon Tech also placed among the top 60 engineering bachelors and masters universities in the nation, tying with several other universities and colleges, including Cal State Sacramento, Hofstra University, Merrimack College, Northern Illinois University, the University of Arkansas Little Rock, University of Evansville, and the University of Wisconsin Platteville, among others.
The university is no stranger to accolades. Oregon Tech recently was ranked among the top 20 percent of all four-year and graduate universities in the U.S. by Forbes’ annual ranking of Top Colleges.
Areas in which Oregon Tech saw marked improvement this year included average freshman retention rate, student/faculty ratio, percentage of full-time faculty, and average alumni giving rate.
”We are very pleased to receive this level of national recognition for the accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students” said Dr. Chris Maples, Oregon Tech president. “Oregon Tech truly is a tremendous educational resource for Oregon, the western US, and the nation.”
The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available at www.usnews.com/colleges and will be published in the September issue of U.S. News & World Report.
Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.
The 2012 Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, "graduation rate performance" and high school counselor ratings of colleges.
About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is one of seven institutions in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communications and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech’s main campus is in Klamath Falls; other sites are located in Portland, Salem, La Grande and Seattle. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.
###
