U.S. News College Rankings 2016: Did Your College Make The Cut?
U.S. News and World Report released its annual list of colleges in the country and how they ranked.
After scrutinizing more than 1,300 reputable educational institutions in America, the U.S. News and World Report list, popularly referred to as the “Best Colleges” report, indicated which of the colleges were worthy of trading an arm and leg for. Those interested only in the rankings, Princeton University was once again ranked as the Best National University, while Williams College retained its number one spot in the Best National Liberal Arts College list. University of California, Berkeley climbed to the top of the public schools’ list, reported International Business Times.
Of the reports, National Universities Rankings and National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings will undoubtedly be the ones that people refer to the most. While the former includes prestigious colleges that boast of exceptional graduate and PhD programs, the latter is indicative of colleges that pride themselves on offering excellent undergraduate programs, reported University Herald.
Emphasizing the reports, Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News, said, “Taking into account how well a school supports its students from freshman year through graduation is important. To find the best fit, students should consider a range of factors, from financial aid offerings and location to campus size and majors. The process can be overwhelming, but our rankings and advice content are a great place to start.”
What he was referring to was the evaluation techniques and the criteria to which the colleges must comply in order to make the cut and stand out among the crowd. The rankings were based on 16 individual parameters, and some of the critical aspects of the evaluation included financial resources, student selectivity, and faculty resources. However, the U.S. News analysis was primarily based on academic quality as well as graduation and retention rates. In simpler words, the evaluators were highly interested in knowing how well the college taught and managed its students and, in return, how well the students responded, continued to stay, study, and graduate.
It is interesting to note that this is the first U.S. News college rankings report in which the U.S. Naval Academy managed to gain an entry in the top 10. What’s equally encouraging to see is that schools such as Tulane University and the University of Wisconsin significantly improved their rankings within a short span of a year.
Click here to get the complete list of top universities to aim for in 2016, and click here to learn about the methodology behind the U.S. News college rankings.
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