HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – For the second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings have recognized Marshall University among the nation’s top higher education institutions.

The magazine’s 2021 edition, released today, ranked the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Sciences among the “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (#110)” and the Brad D. Smith Schools of Business among the country’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs (#235).”

Marshall also is the only institution in West Virginia to be given “Social Mobility” distinction.

“We have seen tremendous growth in both our engineering and business programs at Marshall,” said Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert, president of Marshall University. “This distinction is a testament to the commitment of our faculty and staff, who have worked hard to offer more innovative curriculum and access to exciting research opportunities for our students. We have a relatively new, world-class facility that houses our College of Engineering and Computer Sciences and are on schedule to build a new state-of-the-art facility for our Brad D. Smith Schools of Business, putting Marshall in a position of strength to ensure further growth of these programs.” 

U.S. News & World Report also recognized Marshall with the #161 position in the country in the “Social Mobility” category, which is a measure of how successful an institution is at enrolling and graduating students who come from low-income households. Marshall is West Virginia’s only research university to be ranked in this category for 2021.

Dr. Jaime R. Taylor, Marshall’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said he is thrilled the university has received this particular ranking once again.

“Over the past couple years, we have been laser focused on student success,” Taylor said. “Nearly 80 percent of our freshmen come from within the state of West Virginia, and almost half are first generation students. Sixty percent of our Marshall freshmen also receive need-based aid. It’s more important than ever for us to help our students lock in their pathway to success early in college. The tuition value that they find here really makes a difference to students coming from economically depressed areas in West Virginia. And once they’re here, they’re finding success. We’ve been able to improve freshman retention – four percent higher than last year – and achieve a first-ever six-year graduation rate of 51 percent.”

U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings compare colleges and universities from across the U.S., using widely accepted indicators of quality that include average ACT/SAT scores of admitted students, graduation and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, financial resources and alumni giving rates.