UND ranks among top 100 public universities in U.S. The University has been named one of the best public universities in the United States, according to two recently released lists of college rankings. UND ranks in the top 100 public universities according to the September issue of Washington Monthly, and is also listed among the best national universities by U.S. News & World Report. UND increased in almost every measure of the U.S. News & World Report ranking, including such areas as average freshman retention rate (77 percent this year compared to 75 percent last year), the percentage of faculty who are full time (93 percent up from 89 percent), and the average alumni giving rate (14 percent compared to 11 percent). The magazine puts UND among the nation's top 182 public and nonpublic colleges and universities. "We don't want to put too much stock in these rankings, but we do take them as an indicator that we are on track with our Strategic Plan," said UND President Charles Kupchella. "We are doing what we set out as our goal: to make this one of the top 100 public institutions, which it already is by many measures, and to position the University so that our successors can make it one of the top 50 universities in the nation."