photo by: University of Kansas

The skyline of the University of Kansas is pictured.

UPDATED 3 P.M., TUESDAY, SEPT. 23

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 Douglas 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 year 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 they 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. 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

The latest rankings also keep KU near the bottom of the list of public universities that are part of the AAU — the Association of American Universities. KU moved up one spot this year, and now ranks 37th out of the 38 public universities in the group, which is generally regarded as the most prestigious university research association in North America. The move out of the last spot ended a streak of four consecutive years that KU either had the lowest ranking among public AAU schools or been tied for the lowest ranking.

Here’s a look at the overall national rankings of the public schools in the AAU: California-Berkeley: 15; UCLA: 17; Michigan: 20; Virginia: 26; North Carolina: 26 ; California-San Diego: 29; Texas: 29; Florida: 30; California-Davis: 32; California-Irvine: 32; Georgia Tech: 32; Illinois: 36; Wisconsin: 36; California-Santa Barbara: 40; Ohio State: 41; Maryland: 42; Washington: 42; Rutgers: 42; Purdue: 46; Texas A&M: 51; Minnesota: 59; Stony Brook: 59; Penn State: 59; Michigan State: 64; Pitt: 69; Indiana: 73; Buffalo: 75; California-Riverside: 75; California-Santa Cruz: 88; South Florida: 88; Colorado: 97; Missouri: 102; Iowa: 102; Oregon: 110; Arizona State: 117; Arizona: 127; KU: 143, Utah: 151.

AAU leaders have never indicated that U.S. News & World Report rankings play any role in how the AAU chooses which schools to add or drop from its membership rolls. Research funding totals are thought to be a big factor, and KU has grown those totals in recent years. KU has made keeping its membership in the AAU one of its top institutional goals, as it uses membership in the exclusive association as a recruiting tool for top students.

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;

KU also was ranked No. 31 among public schools in the “Best Value” category, and No. 99 among all schools in the category of “Best Colleges for Veterans.” The rankings also showed KU scored near the bottom of all schools in the nation in a category that measures how well universities enroll and graduate students who receive Pell Grants, which is form of federal aid for low income students. KU ranked No. 419 in the category of “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” according to the new results.