DENTON (UNT), Texas – The University of North Texas has been designated as one of the top national universities because of its innovative changes in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report's rankings of colleges and universities released today (Aug. 20) by the magazine.

UNT tied for ninth among public National Universities on U.S. News & World and Report's "Top Up-and-Coming Schools" list in its America's Best Colleges, 2010 Edition. UNT was the only Texas public university on the list, which includes such institutions as Arizona State University, Clemson University and Ohio State University-Columbus.

Peer assessments propelled UNT into U.S. News & World Report's article, "Keep an Eye on These Schools," stating that UNT is among the top schools making "the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities," as recognized by the magazine's panel of experts.

"People are taking notice of UNT's rapid progress. We have gained incredible ground on our journey to becoming a top-tier, national university by making significant investments in our research and programs while recruiting outstanding students and faculty," UNT President Gretchen M. Bataille said. "Throughout this transformation, we have remained committed to our core mission of offering the best possible education for our nearly 35,000 students."

U.S. News distinguishes National Universities as those that offer a wide range of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. Many, such as UNT, also emphasize research. This is the second year that U.S. News has ranked top up-and-coming schools.

In the past year alone, UNT has committed to investing $25 million in creating collaborative research clusters that span an array of disciplines and hiring more senior-level faculty. The university also is designated as one of the Texas' seven emerging research universities and is moving toward becoming a national research university.

UNT earned a 2008 Texas Higher Education Star Award, which recognizes the university's work to achieve the goals of Closing the Gaps, a Texas program that aims to have 630,000 additional students enrolled in college by 2015. UNT currently ranks first in Texas for the increased number of degrees awarded and second in the state for increased total enrollment. Since 2000, UNT increased enrollment by 28 percent and increased the number of degrees awarded by 39 percent.

During 2009, three UNT master's degree programs -- health librarianship, city management and urban policy and graduate rehabilitation and counseling -- again were recognized as among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report.