Biola students rush past the library between classes. Biola ranked 177 out of 281 schools on the National Universities list, which is topped by universities like Princeton, Yale and Harvard. | Tomber Su/THE CHIMES

Although Biola University did not appear on U.S. News & World Report’s annual Up and Coming Schools list after making it for three years, it landed in the top 75 percent of the 2014 Best Colleges, National Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year.

BIOLA RANKED FOR BEST COLLEGE

“Biola has not arrived yet, and there’s great things that are around the corner that are coming forward,” said Brian Bowman, associate director of university advertising and marketing research.

Biola ranked 177 out of 281 schools on the National Universities list, which is topped by universities like Princeton, Yale and Harvard.

High-ranking representatives from universities on the 2014 Best Colleges list vote on which schools they think are “up and coming” and the top choices make the annual list.

“So that means that over the past three years, presidents, provosts and chief admission officers from other schools have written Biola in and viewed us as one of the most innovative and promising schools that are out there,” said Jason Newell, associate director of communications and publications. 

STUDENTS ARE SURPRISED 

The numbers for the vote are not publicized, which make it difficult to know the reasoning behind why Biola was not recognized this year, Newell said.

“We could very well be on the list next year … I think that Biola academically has just gone into a lot of interesting initiatives with the University Plan that will make us continue to be innovative,” Bowman said.

The initiatives Biola has taken in the last decade have caught the attention this year of not only U.S. News, but also the Princeton Review and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Princeton Review named Biola on the 2014 “Best in the West” list of regionally acclaimed universities and The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this year that Biola was the tenth fastest growing private research university over the past ten years, from 2001 to 2011.

Some students were surprised that Biola has received high recognition.

“I never really thought that Biola was a top-tier university, not because I don’t think it’s great, but in the whole area, [people] don’t know Biola,” said Sarah Strachan, a sophomore nursing major.

However, others think that the ranking is well deserved.

“I definitely feel like I’ve gotten the tools to … do my job as a good thinker [and] a responsible human being … I’m completely satisfied,” said Ryan Lunde, a senior biblical studies major.