The University of Iowa was the top-ranking public institution in the country for writing, according to a U.S. News & World Report for undergraduate programs.
The honor puts UI ahead of universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Duke and Princeton, while tied with Yale and only trailing Brown University when compared to public and private schools.
“If you look at what most employers want these days, it’s what I call higher-order skills, and those are typically related to communication: How well you work in teams, how clearly you express yourself and how effectively you use analytical skills in problem-solving situations,” said UI President Barbara Wilson in a statement. “The emphasis on writing and communication at Iowa benefits all students.”
Programs such as the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, International Writing Program and the Nonfiction Writing Program are well-recognized nationally, but school officials say there’s more than just these programs that make Iowa a great place for writing.
“This ranking reflects the breadth of our commitment to writing excellence at Iowa,” says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost, in a statement. “The world knows us for our unparalleled writing programs, but we are just as proud of the writing-related resources we provide to all students, whatever their field of study.”
Iowa’s overall ranking is 83rd among all public and private universities, the same ranking it received last year, and 35th among publics, a slight dip from last year’s No. 33 slot.
In business school rankings, the Tippie College of Business ranked in the top 25 among public schools. Students often utilize the Frank Business Communication Center, the Big 10’s first business-specific writing and communication center.
Accounting students have access to the Accounting Writing and Communications Program, where students are taught how to communicate numbers effectively through presentations, data visualization and professional ethics. This program has earned UI recognition from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
The College of Nursing ranked ninth overall this year. UI was also named a “best value” university once again, coming in this year at 127nd overall.
The ‘Writing in the Disciplines’ rankings were “solely based on the total number of top-15 nominations each school received” by other college presidents, provosts and admission deans who participated in the annual U.S. News peer assessment survey in 2022, according to the report’s methodology. Schools needed to receive 10 or more nominations to qualify for the list.
Full rankings can be found on the U.S. News website.
More: Coe College rises 10 spots in Washington Monthly’s college guide
