Best colleges in Indiana: Butler tops the Midwest, see where others rank in annual survey.

Arika Herron
Indianapolis Star

Butler University has been named best university in the Midwest for the third straight year in U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s colleges and universities, released today.

Butler also topped the list of “most innovative” schools for the sixth straight year and third best for undergraduate teaching among Midwest Regional Universities.

“Our rankings are reflective of Butler’s commitment to our students,” Provost Kate Morris said in a news release. “By emphasizing innovation within our curriculum, we provide students with educational experiences that prepare them to adapt to challenges and changes throughout their careers.”

Taylor University was named second-best Midwest college and ranked fourth in the Midwest for its focus on undergraduate students. It was also named the 11th "best value" among Midwest colleges.

Butler University was named "best in the Midwest" for the third straight year in the annual rankings of colleges and universities from U.S. News and World Report.

In national rankings, the University of Notre Dame finished highest of all Indiana schools. It was named the 19th best university in the country, a slight drop from last year’s tie for 15th. It was also named the 25th best in the nation for undergraduate teaching and the 26th "best value" in the country. Princeton, Harvard and Columbia universities topped the list of the nation’s best schools this year.

Purdue University—West Lafayette tied for 53rd in the nation and Indiana University – Bloomington tied for 76th place. Both schools also made the list for top public colleges in the country. Purdue tied for 17th best public school and IU placed 31st, holding steady with last year.

Purdue was also named the fifth most innovative school in the country and has the ninth best undergraduate engineering program among schools whose highest degree is a doctorate.

“Ingenuity and innovation is a large part of what defines Purdue,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity, in a news release. “It is what attracts some of the most promising students around the world and brings some of the finest faculty and staff to West Lafayette.”

Ball State University fell in this year’s rankings, but the university said the placement isn’t accurate. In a news release, the university said the annual survey was sent to two people who were no longer working at Ball State. As a result, the school did not provide current figures for the data used to calculate the rankings and some data points are missing entirely. Last year, Ball State tied for 95th on the list of best public schools nationally. This year, it was 144th.

“If the university had been able to submit our data, we are confident that we would have maintained our historically strong position in the publication’s rankings among the top public and private colleges and universities in the country,” a spokesperson said in a news release Monday morning.

Marian University moved up in regional rankings this year, rising to tie for 28th among Midwest universities. It also tied for 3rd most innovative in the Midwest and was ranked as the 5th "best value" — both increases from last year's rankings.

Long recognized as an engineering powerhouse, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been recognized as having the best undergraduate engineering program in the country for the 22nd straight year.

Several Indiana schools also made the list of best liberal arts colleges in the country. DePauw University tied for 47th, Wabash College placed in a tie at 54th, Earlham College tied for 84th this year and St. Mary’s College ranked in a tie for 96th.

The full rankings for all Indiana schools can be found at the U.S. News and World Report website.

Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at 317-201-5620 or email her at Arika.Herron@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.