The U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Colleges rankings were released Tuesday and OSU Institute of Technology made the top 25.

OSUIT, which participated in the rankings for the first time, was listed 24th in the West division that encompasses 15 states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

OSUIT was also ranked fourth in the West’s top public regional colleges listing.

“Once again, OSU Institute of Technology is gaining national attention and recognition for our quality and quantity of programs available to our students,” said President Bill R. Path. “It’s quite an accomplishment earning a top 25 ranking with such a large number quality institutions across our 15-state region.”

U.S. News rankings take into consideration several factors such as freshman retention rates, graduation rates, student to teacher ratios, acceptance rates, ACT/SAT test scores and percentage of classes with 20 or fewer students.

OSUIT was also ranked ninth in the Best Colleges for Veterans ranking, as well as making the list of regional colleges with best ethnic diversity and graduates with the least amount of debt.

“I’m so proud that our institution was also recognized as a top 10 Best Colleges for Veterans, as well for our efforts to make sure students’ higher education experience is affordable and diverse on our campus,” Path said.

Other Oklahoma schools that made the West region’s top 25 include Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Southwestern Christian University and St. Gregory’s University.