Niagara University named ‘best value’ by U.S. News

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY – Niagara University landed as the number 30 university in the “Best Regional Universities – North” category of the U.S. News & World Report annual survey of “America’s Best Colleges.” Niagara’s position at number 30 is the best among independent colleges and universities in the Buffalo-Niagara region within that category.

“We are pleased that the excellent quality of Niagara University’s academic programs and our commitment to affordability and accessibility continue to be praised by U.S. News & World Report and other ranking publications,” said Father James J. Maher, CM, president of Niagara University. “Our focus, regardless of the rankings, is based on key performance indicators outlined in our strategic plan. We will continue to provide an engaging academic experience with career pathways, leading to student success on campus and in their professional life.”

In addition to the overall ranking, Niagara is among the region’s leaders in a number of other categories in the “Best Regional Universities – North,” including:

“Best Value” – Niagara is the top school in New York state, and number 2 overall in the category.

This ranking compares the quality of the school with the cost, with a focus on four factors: quality-to-price ratio; percent of full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarship/grants; the percent of full-time undergraduates who received need-based aid that (also?) received a scholarship/grant (20 percent); and average discount.

“Social Mobility” – NU is the highest-ranking independent school from the Buffalo-Niagara region on the list of social mobility.

This ranking measures the graduation success of Pell Grant recipients and is based on Pell graduation rates, the proportion of students who receive Pell, and the comparison to graduation rates of non-Pell recipients.

“Best Colleges for Veterans” – Niagara tops all Western New York colleges and universities in this category.

The methodology for Best Colleges for Veterans includes schools in the top half of their rankings that are GI Bill certified, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and had 20 or more undergraduate students who are veterans or active service members.

In academic program rankings, Niagara is the top independent institution in the Buffalo-Niagara region for “Undergraduate Nursing Programs,” and tied for second among independent institutions in the region for “Undergraduate Business Programs.”