GRAVETTE — John Brown University moved up to the No. 2 spot in its category in the 2010 U.S.

News & World Report America’s Best Colleges list, published last Thursday, a university news release states.

The magazine categorizes JBU as a baccalaureate college in the Southern region. JBU was also named to the “Great School, Great Price” list and was acknowledged for having the highest graduation rate in the region.

The U.S. News & WorldReport America’s Best Colleges list ranks colleges and universities by region and degree classification. In the Southern region, 96 baccalaureate institutions were evaluated with JBU. More than 280 baccalaureate colleges from across the country appeared on the 2010 ranking. When JBU’s assessment score of 98 was compared with baccalaureate colleges from every region, JBU placed fifth in the country.

Over the past eight years, JBU’s ranking has continuedto climb. JBU ranked 12th in 2002 and 2003, 11 in 2004, eighth in 2005, sixth in 2006 and 2007, fourth in 2008 and third for year 2009.

The total score each institution receives is based on these criteria: peer assessment, graduation and retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and the alumni giving rate. The rankings provide prospective students a comparison of schools based on these various pieces of data.

News, Pages 7 on 10/07/2009