OAKLAND CITY —Oakland City University continues to accomplish one of the primary goals of higher education: its students’ social advancement and mobility.
U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 – 2025 Best Colleges have ranked Oakland City University as the fifth-best University in the nation for Social Mobility. That ranking is up from seventh best in 2022-2023 and eighth best last year. Oakland City University is the only private university in the Midwest in the top 25, and along with the University of Illinois-Chicago, it is the only public/private Midwest institution in the top 25.
OCU President Dr. Ron Dempsey stated, “The goal of higher education is to lift people up and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and professional acumen to have a meaningful life and career. This small Midwest university continues to outperform much larger colleges and universities nationwide. We continue to accomplish one of the primary reasons for higher education: our students’ social advancement and mobility.”
Social mobility is determined by the percentage of students in your student population who receive Pell grants and are first-generation college students. The U.S. News publication states that economically disadvantaged students are less likely to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics. However, Oakland City University and other institutions in this ranking are more successful at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating many disadvantaged students who have been awarded Pell Grants. Most of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.
Oakland City University is most proud that this ranking includes not only recruitment but also graduation of economically disadvantaged students. President Dempsey commented that “many colleges and universities are good at recruiting these students, but OCU is committed to seeing them graduate.”
