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Business First has named UMBC one of the nation’s top public universities in a ranking released on February 23, 2016.
Baltimore Business Journal reports that UMBC is one of three Maryland institutions to appear in the top 100 of 477 four-year public colleges included in the ranking. The other leading colleges include the University of Maryland, College Park, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Business First uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics and American Community Survey, and takes into account college rankings in Forbes, Kiplinger’s, and U.S. News and World Report, which have recognized UMBC as a leader in teaching, innovation, and affordability.
The rankings announcement notes that Business First utilized a 20-part formula “to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students,” giving high marks for “selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, generous resources, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.”
UMBC has also been recently recognized by Business Insider rankings and in Princeton Review’s 2016 Colleges that Pay You Back, which notes:
Arguably the “best public college in Maryland,” UMBC is an “extremely diverse school” that manages to maintain a “small community feel.” And from the moment you set foot on campus it’s evident that the university is focused on “providing exceptional education and research opportunities for students.”