A year after achieving its highest-ever position in the annual Maclean’s University Rankings, the University of Lethbridge maintained its top-three position in the 2014 Primarily Undergraduate category rankings list, further confirming its national strength.
The U of L either bettered or maintained its standing from the previous year in 10 of the 13 indicators Maclean’s uses to construct its rankings, marking notable gains in the percentage of budget it spends on student services and library acquisitions.
The University also held its second overall ranking in medical/science grants received by faculty, resulting in a third overall ranking of 19 schools in the Primarily Undergraduate classification.
“We’re very pleased that the ranking indicators reflect many of the University’s fundamental priorities, notably our philosophy of creating a supportive atmosphere for our students in a setting that fosters academic excellence and engaging research opportunities,” says University of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon.
“All of this would not be possible without the contributions of our faculty and staff who have embraced the U of L’s vision and made the University a destination of choice for our students.”
The U of L is now ranked third in the percentage of its operating budget devoted to student services, rising three spots from last year’s rankings, while maintaining its strength as a leading undergraduate research institution.
“We continue to emerge as a comprehensive research university on the strength of our outstanding faculty, all the while maintaining our philosophy of being student-centred and always striving to enhance the student experience,” adds Mahon.
The U of L also showed steady increases in some of Maclean’s underlying indicators, including the percentages of students coming to the University from outside of the province and country.
“The addition of a new student residence this fall, as well as a complete makeover of our food services operations are indicative of the emphasis we place on being Alberta’s Destination University,” says Mahon. “The majority of our students, greater than 70 per cent, come to our University from outside the southern Alberta area, and we are now seeing that more and more are coming from outside the province of Alberta and beyond.”
A detailed look at the 2014 Maclean’s University Rankings is available here.