September 10, 2015

University jumps 36 spots in annual U.S. News rankings

by Tom Woolf

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale moved up 36 spots – one of the largest jumps of any university – in U.S. News & World Reports Best Colleges Rankings for 2016, which were released on Wednesday. 

The university is tied at No. 153 with Adelphi University and St. John’s University, both in New York. In the 2015 rankings, SIU Carbondale was listed at No. 189. This also was the biggest jump among the 10 Illinois universities listed in the top tier of the “National Universities” category. 

The improvement was noted on the websites of several major publications on Wednesday, including the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. 

“The U.S. News rankings offer one perspective, and we know that prospective students and their families take them into account in the college selection process,” Acting Chancellor Randy Dunn said. “This improvement sends a strong message about the quality of our faculty and staff and their commitment to student success.”