UMSL students stroll through North Campus during the first week of the fall semester. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Good students looking for a transformative college experience have an ideal option in the University of Missouri–St. Louis, according to a list published Monday by U.S. News & World Report.

The news outlet graded UMSL as an “A+ School for B Students.” The annual list, which is distributed with the 2019 Best Colleges rankings, analyzes institutions that show desirable outcomes for students entering with average test scores and high school class ranks.

Eligible universities rank among the top three-quarters of their peer groups in the 2019 Best Colleges list and admit a meaningful proportion of non-A students. U.S. News also requires freshman retention rates of 75 percent or higher, indicating satisfaction of first-year students.

“UMSL proudly offers an education where students of all backgrounds can thrive,” said Kristin Sobolik, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The U.S. News listing reinforces the overall quality of our programs and that UMSL is an institution where students can come to transform their lives.”

UMSL, the University of Missouri–Columbia and Maryville University are the only Missouri-based institutions listed among 103 national universities.

The 2019 Best College Rankings also ranked UMSL as a first-tier national university and recognized the international and undergraduate business programs as well as the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program.

UMSL’s International Business Institute maintained its top 25 ranking for the 16th consecutive year, while the College of Business Administration earned recognition as one of the top five programs in the state.

The joint engineering program jumped to No. 71 in the national rankings, up three spots from the previous year.