Lakeland University Continues to Climb in U.S. News Rankings
Lakeland University continues to climb U.S. News & World Report’s rankings for advancing social mobility, rising to No. 40 among Regional Universities in the Midwest.
Lakeland jumps up 14 spots from No. 54 last year and LU ranks No. 5 among Wisconsin institutions in the 2027 Best Colleges rankings.
The recognition comes as Lakeland continues to focus on creating pathways to a college degree for students from a wide range of backgrounds and helping them connect their education to meaningful career opportunities.
U.S. News’ Top Performers on Social Mobility ranking recognizes colleges and universities that enroll and graduate significant proportions of economically disadvantaged students.
Lakeland’s approach to social mobility is built around providing students with multiple ways to access and complete a college education.
One of the university’s most distinctive programs is its Cooperative Education program, which allows undergraduate students to earn academic credit for professional work experiences. From the program’s start in the fall of 2018, 1,938 Lakeland students have worked in more than 4,287 placements earning 14,058 academic credits and working more than 991,910 hours. That’s an average of more than 41,330 hours per semester, and LU students have earned $14,878,650 in wages.
Lakeland also continues to expand partnerships with Wisconsin technical colleges, creating pathways for associate degree graduates to continue toward a bachelor’s degree. In August, the university opened a new presence at Lakeshore College, its eighth Wisconsin technical college location, further expanding opportunities for students to continue their education close to home.
The Lakeland Promise is another part of the university’s effort to remove financial barriers to a college education. The program provides eligible Wisconsin students from families with an adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less with 100% coverage of tuition and fees through graduation.
Lakeland was named Wisconsin’s only Carnegie Opportunity College in 2025, a designation recognizing institutions that expand access to higher education and demonstrate strong outcomes for their students.
“We have always believed that where a student starts should not determine where they can go,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “Our focus is on removing barriers, creating opportunity and giving students experiences that prepare them for what comes next. This recognition reflects the work of our students, faculty and staff and our commitment to helping more students earn a college degree.”
The 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluate more than 1,700 colleges and universities using measures of academic quality and student outcomes, with social mobility included among the measures used to evaluate institutional performance.
For Lakeland, the latest ranking is another recognition of an approach to higher education centered on access, opportunity and real-world experience.
