Oregon Institute of Technology’s (Oregon Tech’s) value rose in the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges 2016” rankings, released today. The report lists Oregon Tech tied at No. 1 as Top Public Western Regional College, moving up one spot from last year’s No. 2 ranking. The university also moved up three spots in the ranking of Best Western Regional Colleges to No. 5, a list which is comprised of the best baccalaureate colleges in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
In the Best Western Colleges category, Oregon Tech received the highest peer assessment score at 3.9 out of 5, and showcased that the university receives freshman who are typically in the top 25% of their high school graduating class. U.S. News & World Report bases the overall university rankings, which have been published annually since 1983, on a number of criteria, including peer assessment, retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rates, and alumni giving.
Oregon Tech was also featured as No. 46 (No. 18 among public colleges and universities) in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs nationally, a list that ranks all undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET at non-PhD-granting universities. U.S. News notes that the rankings are based solely on surveys of engineering deans and senior faculty at accredited programs. The university also made an appearance on a new list, Best Colleges for Veterans, as No. 3 in Western Regional Colleges. This list provides military veterans and active-duty service members with rankings among schools that are certified for the GI Bill® and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Oregon Tech also appears on U.S. News’ Top Western Colleges for Efficiency, released earlier in the year.
“The programs at Oregon Tech provide an applied, hands-on education that prepares graduates for job and career success on Day 1 of entering the workforce and we are excited that it continues to be acknowledged in rankings," said Dr. Chris Maples, president of Oregon Tech. “After factoring in the costs of attending college, the return on investment our students experience from high starting salaries and future career earnings that begin at graduation and continue throughout a career. Nearly 90 percent of our graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months, and earn an average starting salary of more than $54,000 per year. Our real-world focus gives our graduates a competitive and practical edge, making them highly competitive and in-demand in their field.”
Most recently, Oregon Tech has been listed as No. 527 Top Colleges in the Nation (No. 3 Public Oregon College) by Forbes and as a Top 10 Public School for Getting a Well Paid Job by Newsweek. Most notably concerning the high return on investment (ROI) that the university maintains, Oregon Tech appeared on a list by Mic.com for 9 Non-Ivy Colleges That Give Students a Better Bang for Their Buck Than Harvard or Yale. This list used data compiled by the information company PayScale (which ranked Oregon Tech No. 18 out of 1,223 schools for Annual Return on Investment) to rate Harvard's median annual ROI at 7.1%, while Oregon Tech received a median annual ROI of 11%.
Highlights of the rankings of more than 1,500 four-year schools in the United States are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges. To view a full list of Oregon Tech accolades, please visit www.oit.edu/news/university-accolades-rankings.
About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is the only public 4-year institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communication, and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public, and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech has a full-service, residential campus in Klamath Falls and an urban, industry-focused campus in Wilsonville. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Tech.
###
