photo by: University of Kansas

The skyline of the University of Kansas is pictured.

Enrollments at the University of Kansas have been rising for the last several years, but the university’s standing in a key national ranking hasn’t. That changed on Tuesday.

KU gained seven spots in the closely-watched U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” ranking, released on Tuesday. KU is now ranked No. 74 among public universities in the country. It is ranked No. 143 among all universities, both public and private, which is up from a ranking of No. 152 last year.

The boost begins to reverse a multiyear, and at times, steep decline for KU in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The organization changed its methodology for the rankings that came out in 2023, and KU promptly fell 30 spots in the national rankings and 24 spots in the public school rankings. Both were among the largest declines of any university in the country.

Last year, KU’s place in the rankings stabilized, with a one-position drop to No. 81 among public universities and No. 152 among all national universities.

On Tuesday, KU officials in a press release noted the seven-position improvement in the rankings, but hardly celebrated it.

“We recognize that some students and families look to these rankings when making their college decisions,” Chancellor Doug Girod said in the release. “That said, we remain focused on our own measures of success, which align with the Kansas Board of Regents’ strategic plan, the needs of Kansas businesses and communities, and our aspirations as one of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

Except for one word, that’s the exact same quote Girod offered to last year’s rankings. (Last yer he said “we appreciate” the value placed on the rankings while this year he said “we recognize” the value.)

The rankings have become less of a talking point by university leaders than the were decades ago. Girod, in his eighth year as KU’s chancellor, has not used the ranking system much in his goal setting for the university. His predecessor, Bernadette Gray-Little, also did not emphasize the rankings much. Prior to her tenure, however, KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway set an informal goal of KU being among the top 25 ranked public universities in the country. KU was ranked No. 41 among public universities when Hemenway made that statement in 2002.

More recently, KU has been able to tout its success at growing its enrollment as a sign that the university is well regarded. For two consecutive years, KU has posted record freshmen enrollments. Last year, KU’s total enrollment was the highest on record. Enrollment figures for this school year are expected to be released in the coming days. KU officials have forecast that KU may set another overall record for total enrollment, although the size of the freshman class may shrink as the number of high school graduates nationally declines.

The U.S. News & World Report rankings, however, remain prominent in higher education circles, although they have faced increased scrutiny in recent years for the metrics they measure. KU’s overall performance in the rankings remains a mixed-bag, as it posted gains both nationally and against its Big 12 peers, but also remains ranked in the lower half of the Big 12 conference.

Among the 16 members of the Big 12 Conference, KU ranked 10th, which was up two spaces from a year ago. KU jumped both Cincinnati and Utah in the rankings. The top three schools in the conference did not change from a year ago. Here’s a look at the national, overall rankings for each Big 12 school.

• Baylor: No. 88, up 3 spots

• University of Colorado: No. 97, up one spot

• TCU: No. 97, up 8 spots

• BYU: No. 110, down 1 spot

• Iowa State: No. 117, up four spots

• Arizona State: No. 117, up 4 spots

• Central Florida: No. 117, up 4 spots

• University of Arizona: No. 127, down 18 spots

• Houston: No. 132, up 12 spots

• KU: No. 143, up 9 spots

• University of Utah: No. 151, down 15 spots

• Kansas State: No. 158, up 7 spots

• Cincinnati: No. 158, down 6 spots

• Oklahoma State: No. 198, down 2 spots

• Texas Tech: No. 198, up 16 spots

• West Virginia: No. 222, down 2 spots

Several undergraduate programs also were ranked in Tuesday’s U.S. News & World Report rankings. They include:

• Nursing: No. 25 among public schools, down from No. 16 a year ago;

• Psychology: No. 31 among public schools, down from No. 29 a year ago;

• Business: No. 40 among public schools, up from No. 41 a year ago;

• Engineering: No. 52 among public schools, up from No. 61 a year ago;

Check back for updates on this story.