Eastern Connecticut State University is ranked among the top 20 public regional universities in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 rankings, released Sept. 12. Considered the most competitive in the country, the North region includes 11 states and Washington D.C., stretching from Maryland to the Canadian border and west through Pennsylvania.

In the latest rankings, Eastern is the #1 public regional university in Connecticut and the second overall in New England, behind Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“I am pleased that for the first time ever, Eastern now ranks among the top 20 public institutions in the North, something we can be very proud of,” said Eastern President Elsa Núñez. “The North Region contains the highest concentration of colleges and universities in the country and is home to some of the nation’s top institutions. I am gratified that we rank so highly, indicative of our academic reputation, strong graduation and retention rates, and quality of our students. This is a tribute to our faculty, staff and students, and I congratulate them on this achievement. As Connecticut’s only public liberal arts university, we continue to be committed to providing an outstanding education to students from all backgrounds.”

To calculate rankings, U.S. News focuses on academic quality and places emphasis on outcome measures such as graduation rate, retention rate, graduate indebtedness and social mobility. Outcomes are the mostly highly weighted ranking factor, contributing 40% to each school's overall score.

Among Eastern’s strongest measures include its first-year retention rate of 78%; more than 50% of classes having less than 20 students; a student-faculty ratio of 14 to 1; and more than 40% of first-year students graduating in the top 25% of their high school class.

“For nearly 40 years, the Best Colleges methodology has continuously evolved to reflect changes in the higher education landscape and the interests of prospective students," said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. "Guiding that evolution is U.S. News' mission of providing useful data and information to help with one of life's biggest decisions."

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.