SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (Sept. 24, 2023) – U.S. News named John Brown University the top-ranked regional university in Arkansas for the ninth consecutive year.

In the 2025 U.S. News Best College Rankings, JBU ranked No. 12 out of 132 regional universities in the South. Other Arkansas schools on the list include Arkansas Tech University (No. 65), Southern Arkansas University (No. 78) and Henderson State University (No. 108). 

“Although rankings like U.S. News don’t capture JBU’s dedication to equipping students to honor God and impact the world, we are grateful for the recognition of our continued academic excellence,” said Rob Norwood, vice president for academic affairs.

Within the Regional Universities (South) rankings, JBU was named No. 20 in Best Value and No. 54 for Social Mobility. JBU’s engineering program was ranked No. 115 among U.S. universities without a doctoral engineering program.

U.S. News evaluates graduation and student retention rates, class size, student-to-faculty ratio, SAT and ACT scores, alumni giving rate, and peer assessment to determine its rankings.

The Chronicle of Higher Education also recognized JBU as a Great College to Work For for the ninth year.

JBU received Honor Roll status for elite performance in four or more categories and placed in the top 10 for four-year colleges in six different categories: job satisfaction and support, compensation and benefits, mission and pride, supervisor/department chair effectiveness, confidence in senior leadership and faculty and staff well-being.

“We are deeply honored to be named to the 2024 Honor Roll in the Great Colleges to Work For rankings,” said Kim Hadley, executive vice president. “This recognition reflects the unwavering dedication and outstanding work of our faculty and staff, whose commitment to fostering a Christ-centered, student-focused environment lies at the heart of John Brown University, making it a truly special place to work and learn.”

Great Colleges to Work For is one of the country's largest and most respected workplace recognition programs. For more information and to view the survey results, visit https://greatcollegesprogram.com/list/colleges/.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 42 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers over 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, business, computer science, construction management, graphic design, family and human services, and engineering. Eighteen graduate degrees are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, and education.

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