Bluffton University remains in the top one-third of Midwest “regional colleges” in U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The 2015 edition of the magazine’s Best Colleges guidebook ranks Bluffton 28th among 95 comparable institutions in 11 Midwest states. Now listed in the U.S. News rankings for 17 consecutive years, Bluffton has consistently been ranked in the top tier of Midwest colleges.

In addition, in one of the rankings criteria—percentage of classes under 20 students—the university’s percentage rose to 64 percent, which no institution in the top five bettered.

“Bluffton is honored to once again be recognized for our strong academic environment, small class sizes and personal attention,” said Ron Headings, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “This recognition is indicative of the emphasis Bluffton puts on meeting individual needs of students as the focus of the Bluffton educational experience.”

Regional colleges are defined as institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts—through those programs account for fewer than half of all bachelor’s degrees awarded—and in fields such as business, nursing and education.