CSU went to bed on the evening of September 21, 2026, as the 65th best regional university in the U.S. South. It woke on the morning of September 22, 2026, as the 422nd-ranked (worst) national university in the United States. As you know, this occurred on the release by U.S. News & World Report of its 2027 Best Colleges guide, wherein for the first time ever CSU is classified as a national university. In that classification CSU joins private powerhouse Emory University (ranked 23rd), and two relatively prominent public institutions in the Georgia Institute of Technology (ranked 29th) and the University of Georgia (ranked 52nd). Two other institutions that inhabit the University System of Georgia's "Research Universities" category are also among this group. These are, of course, Georgia State University (ranked 191st) and Augusta University (ranked 317th). The four institutions considered by the USG as "Comprehensive Universities" are also classified, and have been so for some time, by U.S. News & World Report as "National Universities." These are Georgia Southern University (ranked 328th), Kennesaw State University (ranked 342nd), the University of West Georgia (ranked 353rd), and Valdosta State University (ranked 388th). The expectations of the professors included in the USG's "Research Universities" category are enormous (i.e., publication in top-shelf academic journals, attainment of multi-million-dollar grants and contracts, etc.). To achieve these outcomes, these institutions are well financed. Although on a relatively smaller scale, the expectations of and support for the USG's "Comprehensive Universities" are similar to those of its "Research Universities." At CSU, on the other hand, the standard workload policy sets aside only 10% for research, with 80% consisting of teaching and another 10% attributed to service activities. Thus, 90% of CSU's workload policy is geared toward something other than research, the one activity that distinguishes the institutions in the USG's "Research Universities" category and those considered by U.S. News & World Report to be "National Universities." Admittedly, you might think that U.S. News & World Report's decision to reclassify CSU is irrelevant given that the USG governs the institution and it has a different view of where if fits within the state, which is in the third tier. That may be so. However, most parents of prospective students are unfamiliar with the USG, while a sizable number of them will hear about where the 2027 Best Colleges guide has in-state institutions ranked (and who is competing with who). CSU is currently waiting for official word from the USG that its enrollment has fallen for the fourth consecutive semester. Meanwhile, enrollments at most "National Universities" in the U.S. are doing well. These and other contrasts are sharp. Clearly, U.S. News & World Report has stocked CSU in the wrong pond.
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