Rockhurst University Celebrates Best-In-Area Ranking on U.S. News’ Best Regional Colleges List

Kansas City, Missouri — Rockhurst University earned a number of accolades for individual programs and for the University as a whole — including a best-in-area ranking — in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report Colleges list, released today.

Rockhurst is No. 13 in the Best Regional Universities, Midwest, category. That ranking puts Rockhurst in the top 10% of schools on that list — which includes undergraduate and master’s focused schools in a geographic area ranging from Missouri north to the Canadian border and from Ohio west to Kansas. Rockhurst is the top-ranked private institution in the state and leads all Kansas City area institutions on that list of regional universities in the Midwest. The University moved up from No. 26 the year before. That shift in the rankings is in part attributed to a greater emphasis on value, outcomes measures such as graduation rate, and updated criteria related to in-classroom teaching.

“We are thrilled to again be ranked so highly among regional institutions,” said Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., University president. “We are always striving to build on Rockhurst’s long tradition of quality Jesuit education. This ranking shows that our students are well-prepared for the careers they choose, that faculty remain as committed and engaged as ever in helping students achieve success, and that staff are providing the support and tools needed to see students through to graduation.”

Though the regional list might be the headline, it’s not the only list on which the University appeared. Rockhurst was also ranked one of the Best Value Schools in the Midwest Region, one of the Top Performers on Social Mobility, and saw two undergraduate programs in the Helzberg School of Management ranked among the top 40 on the national ranking of undergraduate business programs. The undergraduate analytics program earned No. 34 on a list of the specialty programs in the U.S., and the management path was tied for No. 32 in the U.S.

For Myles Gartland, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business, Influence and Information Analysis under which the Helzberg School of Management programs operate, the new rankings show strength in both emerging fields and the traditional business programs that the school has long been renowned for.

“The approach we take with Jesuit business education is a clear difference-maker for our students and for program quality,” he said. “Undergraduate students at the Helzberg School learn not just how to perform operations or how to balance ledgers. They learn how to be both excellent and ethical leaders in their industry.”