'Berg highly ranked by U.S. News

Heidelberg University is once again ranked among the top colleges and universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual national survey, proof that our reputation of excellence in education remains strong.

“In recent years, we have worked hard to enhance the value of the core academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that Heidelberg University offers,” President Rob Huntington said. “Together, we continue to transform, improve and grow at Heidelberg, and the U.S. News rankings provide validation of these efforts. Heidelberg has a great tradition of advancing liberal arts and professional education. Our focus remains on Student Education Excellence and Student Total Success, and our passion is to help our students prepare for great lives, productive careers and jobs they enjoy.”

As Heidelberg has intensified its focus on transformation, improvement and growth, Rob cited several new student-focused initiatives implemented recently that contribute to an excellent educational experience for Heidelberg students. The initiatives include the PlusOneAdvantage Free MBA for students who meet certain criteria, the co-curricular HYPE Career Ready Program to prepare students for careers and life after college, and stronger new student resources in academic advising, mentoring, support and career planning that aim directly at student success toward graduation and afterward. Additionally, Heidelberg harvested a new healthy food services plan and long-term partnership with Parkhurst Dining to provide greater flexibility and new meal options based on a fresh, made-from-scratch, high-quality approach to food preparation.

“We believe strongly that these new programs and amenities will impact the value of the Heidelberg student experience in very positive ways,” he said.

Doug Kellar, vice president for enrollment management, said the U.S. News rankings are among the multiple tools that families can utilize as they consider such criteria as cost, financial aid, curriculum, feel of campus life and geographic location, all important factors in the college search process. “The U.S. News rankings are a positive indication of our educational strength and quality,” he said. “We want more prospective students to know about us and to ultimately make Heidelberg their higher education destination.”

The U.S. News 2018 America’s Best Colleges report, released today, uses a set of criteria, including peer assessment, retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, alumni giving and financial resources, in ranking colleges and universities. The survey provides a thorough examination of how accredited four-year colleges and universities compare on a set of 16 indicators related to academic excellence. The 600-plus colleges and universities in the “Regional Universities” category are ranked within four geographic regions and then divided into tiers.

This year, Heidelberg was ranked No. 60 in the top tier in the Midwestern Universities region, which includes institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and several graduate programs.