WMU named top 100 national university by Washington Monthly
WMU is fourth among five Michigan universities to make the 2012 list, which the popular Washington, D.C., magazine has published annually since 2005. The publication's College Guide and Rankings rates schools based on what they are doing for their students and the country.
The list appears in the magazine's September/October issue. It is based on three factors the publication characterizes as college qualities that are good for the nation: producing cutting-edge research and new Ph.Ds.; encouraging students to give back to the nation through service; and promoting social mobility by recruiting and graduating low-income students.
Principal criteria for top 100 ranking
- Producing cutting-edge research and doctoral graduates
- Encouraging students to give back to the nation through service
- Recruiting and graduating low-income students
This year, editors added additional credits for cost, giving its highest marks to "colleges that are both effective and inexpensive." By focusing on institutions that combine higher-than-expected graduation rates with affordable prices, editors said, "we are able to offer a true measure of where the biggest 'bang for the buck' is to be found in higher education."
Of the 100 schools named to the list this year, 59 are public universities, including the University of California-San Diego, which captured the top spot.
Michigan universities and where they ranked nationally
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (13th)
- Michigan State University (34th)
- Michigan Technological University (63rd)
- Western Michigan University (90th)
- Wayne State University (95th)