Jeremy Fugleberg

For the second year in a row, a ranking of universities put SDSU as one of America’s best schools.

The America’s Best Colleges report, released by magazine U.S. News and World Report, ranks the nation’s top 248 schools. SDSU’s placement on the list certainly says something about the school, said Peggy Miller, university president.

“I think SDSU students will be proud to know that their university is known nationally to be such a great school,” she said. “I think it’s a recognition we deserve.”

SDSU was ranked in the unnumbered third tier along with Arizona State University, St. John’s University in New York, George Mason University and Oregon State University.

The rankings are mostly based on other schools’ opinions and the success of undergraduates. Unlike other rankings, the report doesn’t consider research programs or graduate students.

William Coolidge, a senior pharmacy major, said the ranking shows SDSU isn’t just about athletic standings.

“It shows that the college is making good forward progress on becoming a complete Division I school,” he said.

The report also looks at alumni giving. SDSU is ranked second behind the University of Montana, with one in five alumni giving back to their alma mater.

SDSU has boasted a massive jump in alumni donations this year – with 12,000 donors giving $14 million. That’s a 44 percent increase from last year.

Among other South Dakota schools in the report, SDSU has the highest freshman retention rate at 75 percent, as well as the highest graduation rate and number of freshman who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

#1.884427:1736906127.jpg:Miller, Peggy.jpg:Peggy Miller: