Indiana University of Pennsylvania is ranked, for the 23rd consecutive year, as one of the “Best National Universities” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The National Universities category, where IUP is placed, includes 310 institutions in the nation that have a full range of undergraduate and master's programs, emphasize research, offer doctoral programs, and were ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “doctoral research university.”

This means that IUP is compared to universities like Princeton and Harvard (ranked first and second by the publication in this category).

“IUP is proud to be in this most competitive category, and proud to be a National University that emphasizes teaching excellence and a commitment to research expertise and student success at all levels, from undergraduate to PhD,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said.

IUP is the only state-owned university in Pennsylvania ranked in the National University category.

Other state-owned universities in Pennsylvania are in the Regional Universities-North category, which includes 189 institutions.

The U.S. News rankings follows a number of national external accolades for IUP.

In August, IUP was included in Forbes' 2016 “America's Top Colleges: The 600+ Schools Well Worth the Investment,” and Money Magazine's “Best Colleges 2016-2017.”

IUP is one of only 41 Pennsylvania colleges and universities included in the Forbes' ranking. IUP was also ranked in Forbes' listing of top public colleges, top research universities, and top northeast colleges.

In creating the listings, Forbes' editors looked at an institution's graduation rate, academic success, student debt, student satisfaction, and post-graduate success.

The Money Magazine's “Best Colleges” list, editors say, is based on a “university's return on investment: which universities deliver the most value—that is, a great education, at an affordable price, that prepares students for rewarding careers.”

IUP has been included in the Princeton Review's “Best Colleges” guidebook for more than a decade. It is also ranked as a “socially responsible school” by Washington Monthly. The university has been ranked highly by publications, including Military Times as a “Best for Vets” university.

IUP's Eberly College of Business and Information Technology is one of 15 graduate schools of business named to the Princeton Review's 2010 “Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools,” and it continues to be selection for inclusion in the Princeton Review's “The Best Business Schools” guidebook.

IUP, designated as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense since 2002, is a National Cyber Security Alliance “Champion,” recognized by the National Cyber Security Alliance. IUP was recognized in a 2014 national survey of “Best Schools for Cybersecurity” by HP Enterprise Security, released in October 2015. The university was ranked in the top 25 percent of all cybersecurity programs in the nation. Only four Pennsylvania colleges and universities were rated in the top quartile.

IUP's master of arts in criminology online program has been selected among the Top 10 online graduate criminal justice programs by U.S. News & World Report; the doctoral program in clinical psychology (the PsyD program) has been recognized as one of the top five programs in the nation by “Best Counseling Degrees”; and the online master's program in nutrition has been ranked in the top 10 as a “Most Affordable” by Healthcare Administrative Degree Programs and a Top 20 by Affordable Colleges Online.