USAO Ranked in Top 20 of U.S. News Top Public Schools - National Liberal Arts Colleges

For the second consecutive year, the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma has been ranked in the top 20 of top public schools - national liberal arts colleges, in the 2024 edition of the U.S. News & World Report’s best colleges ranking.

Schools in the National Liberal Arts Category emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study. This category includes numerous prestigious institutions including the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy.

“Our commitment to student success as well as our interdisciplinary focus on the traditional arts and sciences, taught in engaging and innovative ways, is what truly sets us apart from other institutions,” said President Kayla Hale. “This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to academic excellence and the dedication of our faculty and staff to ensure our students graduate prepared for the workforce and life after college.”

Like the best private liberal arts colleges, USAO offers small classes, award-winning faculty, and a campus culture that fosters inclusivity, close faculty-student interaction and undergraduate research opportunities. 

The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings were calculated using 19 key measures of academic quality for National Universities and 13 indicators for the National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges. This year, U.S. News & World Report made changes to their methodology. The ranking agency dropped several metrics, such as alumni giving and undergraduate class size, to place greater emphasis on student outcomes, including first-generation student graduation rates. In addition, less weight is given to some metrics, such as expenditures per student, and more weight to actual versus predicted graduation rate and first-year student retention rate.