Miami University ranked among nation's top elite public schools

Miami University ranks among the top 50 elite public schools in the nation in a just-released ranking by Business First.

Miami ranks 43rd in a list developed from the rankings of 499 four-year public institutions based on academic excellence, affordability, diversity and economic strength.

Business First's study uses the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. It is a Buffalo-based publication owned by American City Business Journals Inc.

The 22-part assessment formula pinpoints public institutions that offer the best educational experiences to their students. The rankings were limited to public schools because those institutions generally offer the least expensive path toward a college degree. Military academies are not included.

It gives the highest marks to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, impressive earnings by alumni, generous resources, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies and economically robust communities.

The publication’s methodology is weighted as such:

1. Selectivity (15 percent).
2. Advancement (25 percent).
3. Prospects (10 percent).
4. Resources (10 percent).
5. Costs (10 percent).
6. Diversity (10 percent).
7. Community (10 percent).
8. Past (10 percent).

Miami has made the top 50 elite list of U.S. public universities each of the three years Business First has conducted the rankings. The report also provides a separate breakdown for Ohio's public colleges.

Miami ranks second among the 13 Ohio institutions included in the rankings.