search articles:     from the issue of September 8, 2005         Rankings place UNL among America's best - University rates in top 50 nationwide In 2004, UNL made U.S. News and World Report's annual America's Best Colleges rankings' Top 50 list for public national universities. Showing improvement in several key categories, UNL was listed as tied with seven other universities at 98th place overall in the magazine's "Best National Universities" list. Among public national universities, UNL was tied with five other universities at 46th, placing it in the "Top 50 Public National Universities." In each category, data on up to 15 indicators of academic quality were gathered from each school and tabulated, according to the magazine's methodology. Schools are ranked within categories by their total weighted score. UNL's total weighted score was 43. Among the key data, UNL's graduation rate improved to 59 percent, from 54 percent from the year before. UNL's acceptance rate decreased to 76 percent from 78 percent the year before (low acceptance rates improve rankings). UNL reported losing ground slightly in other areas compared to previous years: in class size under 20 (32 percent vs. 36 percent); class size over 50 (14 percent vs. 13 percent) and freshmen in top 10 percent of their high school class (25 percent vs. 26 percent). The improvements in key data upped UNL's overall score from 42 to 43 in 2004. Other categories remained nearly the same from the previous year, including the freshman retention rate, at 81 percent. In other U.S. News 2004 listings, UNL's biological systems engineering program was listed as a top program specialty, and in "Best Undergraduate Business Programs," UNL was listed 68th in a pool of 120. GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 8 NEWS HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 8 Kooser's verse draws accolades External research dollars hit record level Year in Review $2 million grant puts UNL into international physics experiment Headlines tout campus successes IANR scientists in top-20 worldwide for article citations iDiverse to develop stress resistant crops ITLE grants bolster teaching Master plan moves closer to completion Rankings place UNL among America's best - Academic workplace in top 10 Rankings place UNL among America's best - University rates in top 50 nationwide Rural poll marks decade of insight Scientists break into Discover's top 100 list Soy oil research helps shape food allergen labeling rules Team wins $3 million DoD grant Undergrads experience research firsthand UNL heads back to Antarctica UNL, UNMC create surgical tool 732197S34883X