Purple pride: K-State earning several national recognitions
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015
MANHATTAN — A best value. A place where students thrive. A university that can make a difference in starting salaries.
According to information released recently by major publications and websites, Kansas State University rises to the top in Kansas and the region when it comes to higher education and success.
Among the university's recent recognitions:
• SmartAsset, the financial date and technology company, rates Kansas State University as the best place in Kansas to get the most bang for your education bucks. The company's study found K-State highest in the state for graduates' average starting salaries and for student retention. It also rates the university's living costs among the lowest.
• The Princeton Review ranks K-State No. 4 for happiest students, No. 5 for students love these colleges, No. 5 for best-run colleges and No. 6 for best quality of life in its 2016 edition of "The Best 380 Colleges."
• Forbes magazine includes K-State in its "America's Top Colleges" list, which names the nation's best educational institutions based on student satisfaction, postgraduation success, student debt, graduation rate and academic success.
• K-State's Manhattan campus is ideally located, according to Livability.com and College Values Online, which both rate Manhattan as the best or one of the best college towns in America.
"It means a lot for K-State to be recognized for things such as affordability, progress toward graduation and jobs, as these are very important to that are very important to our students and families," said Pat Bosco, the university's vice president for student life and dean of students. "Couple those factors with our 250 degree options and programs, services that prepare students for success and our award-winning faculty and staff, and it shows why K-State is a true value and the place for undergraduates to excel."
Even better, according to Bosco, is that K-State is continuing to improve on its impressive rankings.
"Our fall 2015 freshmen class is the most academically gifted in our history, with the average ACT composite scores for first-time degree-seeking freshmen at 24.9," Bosco said. "K-State also continues to set records with its freshmen-to-sophomore retention rate, and our current student body is our most diverse. We also remain the No. 1 choice among Kansas high school students because we provide the services and attention they need to thrive."
Bosco credits K-State First, the university's first-year success programs, free services like tutoring, financial counseling and other student-focused offerings, top-notch academic programs and faculty, and more for the university's success in garnering the national recognitions.
