| | WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Three of the most visible names in higher education, Princeton University, Harvard University, and Yale University, top the 2008 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S.News & World Report, the nation's leading source of service journalism and news. The exclusive rankings -- which this year feature some substantial changes in methodology -- will be published in the magazine's August 27 issue, on newsstands Monday, August 20, and available online at www.usnews.com/colleges beginning today. The annual rankings -- in which U.S. News groups schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching -- provide an unmatched resource for parents and students contemplating one of life's most challenging financial decisions. Among top liberal arts colleges, categorized by the Carnegie Foundation for their emphasis on undergraduate education and awarding at least half of their degrees in arts and science, were Williams College, Amherst College, and Swarthmore College. "For nearly a quarter century, consulting the U.S.News & World Report rankings has been a vital first step for prospective college students and their parents in the complex process of determining which institution best fits their goals," said U.S.News & World Report's editor, Brian Kelly. "Designed as a one-stop resource, the rankings supply hard data and analysis to help college applicants make apples-to-apples comparisons of schools across the country. Through these rankings, and the 'America's Best Colleges' guidebook, our goal is to help equip students and their families to make a knowledgeable decision based on clear, comparative research." Using a proprietary methodology, the annual U.S.News & World Report rankings represent the most comprehensive look at how schools stack up based on a set of 15 widely accepted indicators of excellence, and help consumers evaluate and compare data compiled from more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools. Changes in the U.S.News & World Report methodology for the 2008 edition include: -- Category changes - Since U.S.News & World Report categorizes schools
based on the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's
classifications, many schools changed from one U.S.News & World Report
ranking category to another due to the foundation's recently announced
"2006 Basic version." Schools that switched categories since last
year's rankings as a result (more than 200) or that are ranked for the
first time (55 in all) are noted in the tables.
-- Military service academies now included - Due to the new Carnegie
Classification changes, the U.S. service academies - Army, Navy, Air
Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine - are ranked for the first time,
and all ranked as the top public school in their respective categories.
The U.S. Naval Academy (MD) and the U.S. Military Academy (NY) ranked
among the top 25 liberal arts colleges: 20th and 22nd respectively. In
the list of Best Baccalaureate Colleges, which are grouped by region,
the U.S. Air Force Academy (CO) topped the list of schools in the West;
and the U.S. Coast Guard (CT) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (NY)
were in the top 10 for the North: 2nd and 7th respectively.
-- Pell Grants are a new ranking criterion - The percentage of Pell Grant
recipients attending a school is now one of the variables used to
calculate the "graduation rate performance" measure for national
universities and liberal arts colleges. Because many schools include
as part of their mission a focus on educating students from low-income
families, the inclusion of this data enables schools with a high
proportion of Pell Grant recipients to be measured more accurately
against those with fewer recipients in terms of graduation rates. Pell
Grants are not used as part of any other ranking component.
-- Unranked schools are now listed differently - Unranked schools, which
had been listed together alphabetically in a single, separate table,
now appear in groups beneath the category in which they would have been
ranked. Because some schools are unable to report key educational
statistics, or because they have certain other characteristics
(nontraditional first-year students, small overall enrollment, etc.),
it would not be statistically valid to compare them with other schools.
In addition, institutions that have indicated that they don't use SAT
and ACT scores in admission decisions for first time first-year,
degree-seeking applicants now also are included in the list of unranked
schools, footnoted as such.
-- New category title - The category formerly titled "Comprehensive
Colleges-Bachelor's" has been re-named "Baccalaureate Colleges" to
better clarify the broad educational mission of these schools.
A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can be found online at www.usnews.com/colleges. About U.S.News & World Report Founded in 1933, the weekly national news magazine U.S.News & World Report is devoted to reporting and to analyzing national and international affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology and social trends. Through its annual editions of America's Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools, America's Best Hospitals, America's Best Health Plans and America's Best Leaders, as well as its News You Can Use(R) brand, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News website (www.usnews.com) extends that brand promise and delivers the best, most accurate information online, organized in an easily accessible way. 2008 U.S.News & World Report
"America's Best Colleges" Rankings
Best National Universities
1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Yale University (CT)
4. Stanford University (CA)
5. California Institute of Technology
University of Pennsylvania
7. Massachusetts Inst. Of Technology
8. Duke University (NC)
9. Columbia University (NY)
University of Chicago
11. Dartmouth College (NH)
12. Cornell University (NY)
Washington University in St. Louis
14. Brown University (RI)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Northwestern University (IL)
17. Emory University (GA)
Rice University (TX)
19. University of Notre Dame (IN)
Vanderbilt University (TN)
21. University of California - Berkeley
22. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
23. Georgetown University (DC)
University of Virginia
25. University of California - Los Angeles
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Best Liberal Arts Colleges
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)
4. Wellesley College (MA)
5. Carleton College (MN)
Middlebury College (VT)
7. Bowdoin College (ME)
Pomona College (CA)
9. Davidson College (NC)
10. Haverford College (PA)
11. Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Grinnell College (IA)
Vassar College (NY)
Wesleyan College (CT)
15. Harvey Mudd College (CA)
Washington and Lee University (VA)
17. Colgate University (NY)
Hamilton College (NY)
Smith College (MA)
20. Oberlin College (OH)
United States Naval Academy (MD)
22. Colby College (ME)
United States Military Academy (NY)
24. Bates College (ME)
Bryn Mawr (PA)
SOURCE U.S.News & World Report |
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