MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University is included on U.S. News and World Report’s list of “2018 Best Colleges,” which again ranks the institution as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri.

U.S. News ranked Northwest at No. 21 on its list of “Top Public Schools” among regional universities in the Midwest and No. 87 overall, in a tie with five other schools, on its list of “Best Regional Universities” in the Midwest, which includes all public and private universities in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin as well as Missouri.

Northwest is ranked second among Missouri universities on both lists, trailing only Truman State University, which is classified as a highly selective university. U.S. News also ranked Northwest as the state’s top moderately selective regional university in 2015 and 2016.

“Choosing the right university is important, and these rankings help put a spotlight on the quality education and experiences Northwest Missouri State students receive,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said.

To develop its rankings, U.S. News analyzes data such as freshman retention, graduation rates, class sizes, ACT and SAT scores, financial resources and alumni giving. Each indicator is assigned a weight and institutions are ranked based on their overall scores.

To view U.S. News’ “2018 Best Colleges,” visit www.usnews.com/education.