Campus Connection

UW-La Crosse has earned a spot on another elite list of America's 100 best public colleges and universities, according to a national report released Thursday, Feb. 12. The study by The Business Journals ranks UW-L No. 85 out of 484 four-year public institutions, based on 19 indicators of academic excellence, affordability and diversity. UW-L was only one of two UW campuses in the top 100. UW-Madison ranked No. 10. “We’re delighted to once again be ranked among the top institutions in public higher education,” says UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow. “This is yet another confirmation of the great value we provide to our students and it’s a powerful reminder of the challenges we’ll face if our state funding is dramatically reduced.” UW-L is the state’s top-ranked public or private higher education institution by U.S. News & World Reports for master’s degree institutions for 2015 and has been ranked among the top four Midwestern public institutions for more than a decade. Kiplinger’s magazine last year named UW-L No. 4 nationwide on its list of the 25 Best College Values Under $30,000 a Year. Forty U.S. newspapers are published by The Business Journals, a division of American City Business Journals Inc., headquartered in Charlotte. TBJ's study was based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. College rankings recently issued by four national publications — Forbes, Kiplinger's, U.S. News and World Report and Washington Monthly — were also taken into account. TBJ's 19-part formula pinpointed the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students. It gave the highest marks to schools with highly-selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies and economically robust communities.