PIERRE - Dakota State University in Madison has been rated as the best public college in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report magazine.

The ranking comes in a category of public colleges that are primarily for undergraduates.

Dakota State has held the magazine's top annual ranking in that category for several years.

Ranked second is Northern State University in Aberdeen.

NSU officials said they hope the ranking leads to increased enrollment. Patrick Schloss, NSU president, said the college has never been on the magazine's list before.

"This might be the most important thing that has happened to Northern in a decade or more," Schloss said Thursday.

Research and advanced-degree institutions such as the University of Minnesota are in a different category.