Why KU?
Get a great education
As much as we love cheerleading, it'll probably never pay the bills for us. That's why getting a good education is really the most important part of college. KU is consistently rated as one of the strongest academic institutions in the midwest and in the upper tier of public universities in the country, all at a very reasonable price.
But don't take my word for it...
From the Fiske Guide to Colleges:
"With solid academics, outstanding extracurricular programs, winning athletics, and a stellar social life, the University of Kansas is one of higher education's best buys." The guide also names KU as one of 16 public university best buys in the country for "quality of the academic offerings in relation to the cost." Below are Fiske's ratings of the 300 "best and most interesting" schools:
| Fiske's Ratings (out of 5 stars) | |||||
| Academics | Social Scene | Quality of Life | |||
 | |||||
| Illinois: |  |
 |
|
||
| |||||
| Texas: |  |
 |
|
||
| |||||
| Kansas: |  |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Minnesota: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Arkansas: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Kentucky: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Missouri: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Nebraska: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Oklahoma: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Texas Tech: | |
|
|
||
| |||||
| Hawaii-Pacific: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
| Kansas State: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
| Louisville: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
| Missouri State: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
| Oklahoma State: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
| Wichita State: | Not listed in Fiske's guide | ||||
| |||||
"KU has risen steadily in reputation to become, first, one of the top public universities in the Midwest, and now one of the more highly regarded public schools in the nation."
Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America's Top Schools
Describing KU as "the flagship university of Kansas," Barron's Best Buys in College Education notes that KU "draws bicoastal attention, offering a wealth of big college experiences for a comparatively small price." The guide gives high marks to KU's journalism, engineering, architecture, psychology, biology, theatre, accounting, East European, Russian/Slavic languages programs, and pharmacy.
U.S. News & World Report College Rankings
Listed below are some of US News' college rankings. I listed "cheer schools" and local (to Kansas) schools. For schools ranked in Tier 3 and 4, US News doesn't rank them against other schools in their tier so I listed them alphabetically.
Tier 1 & 2: the top 50%
44. Texas
85. Kansas
91. Alabama
91. Missouri
91. Nebraska
96. Tennessee
108. Oklahoma
122. Kentucky
124. Arkansas
124. Kansas State
Tier 3: the next 25%
Central Florida
Hawaii
Hawaii-Pacific
LSU
Louisville
Oklahoma State
Stephen F. Austin
Texas Tech
Tier 4: the bottom 25%
Memphis
Wichita State
