By Elizabeth Faragi
Four students at the University of Maryland expressed pride and excitement about the university’s new, all-time high U.S. News & World Report rankings released on Sept. 23.
UMD ranked No. 16 among the best public universities in the nation, and No. 42 among the best national universities, according to the U.S. News & World Report. These rankings take into account a number of different factors, including student outcomes and faculty resources, according to the U.S. News website.
Since 2020, UMD has climbed more than 22 spots in the rankings, according to a campus-wide email written by President Daryll Pines sent on Sept. 23.
“Rankings are but one measure of our university’s success, but offer important insight into our commitment to supporting our people,” Pines wrote in the email. “Our upward momentum has been building.”
Many students at this university feel a sense of pride about the change in rankings.
Landon Stone, a senior classical trumpet performance and jazz studies major, said that the newly released rankings are really reassuring to hear.
“It gives me a sense of confidence in the weight that my degree from the University of Maryland will hold after graduating,” Stone said. “I think that UMD has done a good job of taking student requests and continues to attempt to improve.”
One specific request UMD took into account was upgrading dorms to better suit students, Stone mentioned.
“As an RA, one huge example is the renovation on the Chestertown dorm, as it now has AC, which is a huge upgrade for those students,” Stone said.
Ruairí Rossi, a sophomore film major, feels great about attending a highly ranked school that is also extremely diverse.
“I think it’s really cool to share spaces with such intelligent individuals who help grow the community both academically and culturally,” Rossi said.
Sophomore family health major Konstance Calvi, a sophomore family health major, said that as an out-of-state student, she feels really proud of her school.
“I knew I wanted to go out of state,” Calvi said. “UMD really stuck out to me because of its incredible academics. I knew it would help me get closer to achieving my career goals.”
The university now has a total of 69 top-25 rankings, according to a university news release. The business, engineering and computer science programs all rank in the top 25 nationally, according to the campus-wide email.
Students considering the university often take these rankings into account when submitting applications. Abby Bender, a freshman journalism major, said the rankings helped her when applying to universities last year.
While U.S. News does not have a ranking specific to the journalism program, other rankings have ranked the program as a top-five program, according to the Philip Merrill College of Journalism website.
“I was highly influenced by [UMD’s] ranking,” Bender said. “This ranking definitely shows. There are countless resources on campus, as well as research opportunities I am interested in. It doesn’t surprise me that UMD moved up in its ranking.”
Overall, these students are full of pride to be attending a top-20 public university.
“We should all be proud to be part of a university that is celebrated for our academic excellence, bold research enterprise and unwavering commitment to student success,” Pines wrote in his email.
Featured Image: McKeldin Mall on Oct. 1. Photo by Monique James.