For the fourth consecutive year, Butler University has been named the No. 1 Regional University in the Midwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, released today.

Butler also ranked as the No. 1 Most Innovative School for the seventh consecutive year, No. 1 for Undergraduate Teaching, and No. 1 Best College for Veterans.

“Butler University’s faculty and staff members are among the best in the nation, and I’m pleased that their continued hard work and dedication to our students are recognized through U.S. News and World Report’s rankings,” Butler University President James Danko said. “While Butler has transformed itself over the past decade—growing in both size and academic reputation—we have remained true to our founding values of educational equity and academic excellence. We will continue to honor those values into the next decade, as we strive to boldly innovate and expansively educate, thereby strengthening the positive impact we make on the learners and communities we serve.”

In addition to its strong position in the Midwest, Butler ranked highly among nationally ranked schools (such as Princeton, Duke, and Northwestern Universities) in two key areas identified by U.S. News as being critical to providing students with the best possible undergraduate experience: First-Year Experience (No. 16), and Study Abroad Opportunities (No. 25). Both of those rankings were improvements over Butler’s 2021 national rankings (No. 19 and No. 28, respectively).

The U.S. News First-Year Experience category recognizes schools that have developed ways to help new students feel connected well beyond orientation week, such as Butler’s required First-Year Seminar, which introduces students to the practice of engaging with complex and unfamiliar ideas.

The Study Abroad category highlights universities that allow students to complete a substantial amount of credit hours outside the United States, immersing themselves in new cultures. While the COVID-19 pandemic has limited travel opportunities over the past 18 months, Butler normally offers more than 200 study abroad programs across 60 different countries, including several designed and led by Butler faculty.

This is the first year Butler has been ranked the top university in the Midwest Region for veterans. To qualify for the Best Colleges for Veterans ranking, an institution must meet specific requirements, including:

• certification for the GI Bill
• participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program
• enrollment of a minimum of 20 full-time and part-time undergraduate veterans and undergraduate active service members
• ranked in the top half of its 2022 Best Colleges ranking category

While ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region, Butler’s academic reputation actually extends beyond the region, as evidenced by the number of students nationally who have enrolled at Butler in recent years. Butler’s fall 2021 incoming class represents 37 states and 13 countries, with 57 percent of the class coming from high schools outside of Indiana. It is also the university’s most diverse class; more than 21 percent self- identified as students of color.

“Bringing together students from various backgrounds and locations, with varying perspectives on life, is an important part of the educational and maturation process,” Danko said. “It’s important that Butler continues to grow in this way as an institution because, in the end, that growth benefits our students. They will leave Butler having been exposed to diverse cultures and viewpoints, which will better prepare them for life beyond our campus.”

Butler University is now accepting applications for enrollment for the fall 2022 semester. More information is available at www.butler.edu/admission-aid/.

Media Contact:
Mark Apple
Director of Strategic Communications
mapple1@butler.edu
317-519-8592

About Butler University
Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Approximately 4,500 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 46 states and 22 countries. More than 75 percent of Butler students will participate in some form of internship, and Butler students have had significant success after graduation, as demonstrated by the University’s 97 percent placement rate within one year of graduation. The University was recently listed as the No. 1 regional university in the Midwest, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, in addition to being included in The Princeton Review’s annual “best colleges” guidebook.