In this year’s U.S. News and World Report’s edition of “Best Colleges,” Eastern was the #1 ranked public regional university in New England and the 21^st highest ranked the North Region, which includes New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

In U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Value” category, Eastern was also the #1 ranked public university in New England and the 18^th highest ranked public university in the North Region.  The Best Value classification measures academic quality against costs and affordability.

Eastern Connecticut State University is again the highest ranked institution among Connecticut’s four state universities. The 2020 rankings were released on Sept. 9, 2019.

This is Eastern’s highest ranking ever. The North Region includes colleges and universities from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, and is known as the most competitive among the four regions that make up the U.S. News and World Report ranking system.

Regional universities such as Eastern offer a broad range of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs, with limited doctoral programs. They are ranked based on 15 criteria that include peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, class size, faculty resources, admissions selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

“Given the uncertain times facing the higher education community, I am delighted to see Eastern achieving its highest ranking ever,” said Eastern President Elsa Núñez. “This is a testament to our commitment to high standards and the faculty and staff’s focus on providing students with personal attention. Our improved ranking this year is due to our rising graduation and retention rates as well as the continued quality of our incoming classes.

“Students and their families turn to the Best Colleges rankings to help decide where to attend college. These newest rankings reaffirm that Eastern is providing a relevant and high-quality education on our beautiful residential campus.”

This year’s U.S. News and World Report rankings included reviews of upwards of 1,400 schools nationwide and are available at www.usnews.com/colleges. They will also be published in the Best Colleges 2020 Guidebook, published by U.S. News & World Report and available on newsstands on Oct. 15.

For the past 35 years, the U.S. News and World Report rankings, which group colleges based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, have grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.