TU recognized in list of top schools

By: Amanda Carroll, Contributing Writer

U.S. News & World Report has recognized Towson University as 14th in its list of the region’s top public schools within its annual America’s Best Colleges guide.

Towson also took 51st place in the guide’s list of 195 public and private institutions in the northern region, a position it shares with Baltimore neighbor Notre Dame of Maryland University.

“The America’s Best Colleges rankings are a direct reflection of our more than 100 outstanding graduate and undergraduate degree programs, our excellent faculty and our students’ strong academic performance,” Towson University President Kim Schatzel said in a press release.

U.S. News & World Report’s methodology for these rankings includes metrics such as selectivity, faculty resources per student spending and rates of retention and graduation.

America’s Best Colleges also provides additional rankings recognizing specialty programs and other unique attributes of colleges and universities. Towson earned a place on the list of A-Plus Schools for B Students, which is unranked.

Schools on this list are evaluated by prior rankings, freshman retention rate, and are schools who accept a significant number of students who did not receive straight A’s, according to the publication.

Towson also took 29th on the list of best colleges for veterans.This ranking recognizes institutions that participate in initiatives to support service members.

Colleges on this list charge in-state tuition to all veterans regardless of residency status and maintain a minimum enrollment of 20 students who use the GI bill to fully or partially finance their education.

Schatzel recognized this as validation for Towson’s mission “to do everything we can to help our servicemen and women, whether active duty or veteran, earn their college degrees.”

Towson Director of Institutional Research Tim Bibo notes that Towson’s “rankings have been relatively stable for the past several years.”