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

The 2016 edition of the magazine’s Best Colleges guidebook ranks Bluffton tied for 27th among 96 comparable institutions in 12 Midwest states. That’s up from 28th last year, “driven by increases in our freshman retention rate and lower student/faculty ratio,” noted Ron Headings, Bluffton’s vice president for enrollment management and marketing.

Now listed in the U.S. News rankings for 18 consecutive years, Bluffton has consistently been ranked in the top tier of Midwest colleges.

“Bluffton is honored to once again be recognized for our strong academic environment, small class sizes and personal attention,” Headings said. “This recognition is indicative of the strong belief Bluffton has in the power of bringing together people and ideas for a greater purpose.”

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