WSU Tops U.S. Best Colleges List

Winona State University has been recognized as the No. 1 public school in the State of Minnesota, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 rankings. WSU shares the top slot with University of Minnesota-Duluth.  

On the comprehensive list of all public and private universities in Minnesota, WSU is tied for 4th (again with UMD).  

Overall in the region, Winona State is ranked No. 41—tied with UMD and University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire—among all public and private Midwestern universities. When narrowing the search to public universities, WSU is ranked 8th in the Midwest.  

WSU continues to be recognized as one of the Best Colleges for Veterans, ranking as the top public school for veterans in Minnesota and the 16th overall in the Midwest (both tied with UMD). 

The university is also ranked 3rd in Social Mobility for public universities in Minnesota (tied with St. Cloud State University and UMD). 

This ranking recognizes WSU’s success in enrolling and graduating large proportions of economically disadvantaged students.  

Originally founded as a teacher’s college, Winona State has more than 160 years’ experience educating top teaching professionals. Today, WSU offers more than 80 undergraduate, pre-professional, licensure, graduate and doctorate programs in five colleges: Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Nursing & Health Sciences, and Science & Engineering. The university’s Nursing program was established more than 50 years ago and is well-recognized across the region. In addition, WSU is the only accredited undergraduate program in the U.S. that offers a Bachelor of Science in composite materials engineering.  

U.S. News and World Report bases its regional rankings on peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. Complete listings are available at usnews.com/colleges   

For more information, contact the WSU Marketing and Communications Department at wsunews@winona.edu. 

(Winona State University)