Georgia State University has moved from fifth to fourth among the most innovative schools in the nation in the 2017 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

Georgia State also ranked 14th among national universities cited for “an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” It was 14th last year.

The university followed Arizona State University, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology atop the list of innovative colleges and universities. Institutions on the list are nominated by college and university leaders across the country.

Two Georgia State academic programs were among those identified by U.S. News as “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.” The university’s First-Year Experience program, which gives students external learning opportunities, and its Freshman Learning Communities, where first-year students live and attend classes with others with similar interests, are central to Georgia State’s student success initiatives for which it is recognized as a national leader.

“We are delighted that Georgia State continues to be recognized as a national leader in innovation and for our extraordinary commitment to students,” said Mark P. Becker, president of the university. “Our model for proactively supporting students in new and innovative ways is leveling the playing field so students from all backgrounds succeed. It is hugely gratifying to see these recognitions bestowed upon our faculty and staff for their creativity and hard work in shaping the future of higher education.”

Here is a video on GSU's Points of Distinction: https://vimeo.com/174223260

Georgia State was again included among the top 25 higher education institutions recognized for their ethnic diversity.

The university’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business was 63d, tied with 13 other schools, in the magazine’s ranking of undergraduate business programs. It was 50th last year. Robinson’s insurance and risk management program ranked fourth among the top programs in the nation. The business school and program rankings are based on a survey of deans and senior faculty at institutions across the country.