US News best colleges in 2025: 4 Arkansas universities among best in south

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — With the 2024-25 school year underway across the Natural State, U.S. News and World Report has released its annual report highlighting the best colleges in America.

In addition to those rankings, U.S. News also released its list of the “best regional universities in the south” and four Arkansas universities were featured.

John Brown University was the highest-ranked among Arkansas universities at 12th. The university says it is top-ranked in Arkansas for the ninth consecutive year.

Other Arkansas schools ranked are Arkansas Tech University (No. 65), Southern Arkansas University (No. 78) and Henderson State University (No. 108).

JBU Vice President of Academic Affairs Rob Norwood said they were grateful to be recognized for their “continued academic excellence”.

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

For the full rankings, visit U.S. News and World Report’s website .

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