Lakeland climbs in U.S. News & World Report rankings
Lakeland University is among the top schools in Wisconsin and the Midwest in advancing social mobility for its students, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 list of Best Colleges.
Lakeland is ranked second among all Wisconsin schools in social mobility and ninth among universities in the Midwest, up from 33rd a year ago.
The rankings note, “Economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics. But some colleges are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The vast majority of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.”
The ranking is also another feather in the cap of Lakeland’s award-winning Cooperative Education program. The program allows undergraduate students on the main campus in any academic major to earn professional work experience in full- and part-time positions with co-op partner companies. These jobs allow them to earn wages that can be used to pay their tuition, which helps position them for financial independence after graduation.
