From STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Twenty-two Virginia schools are listed in the latest U.S. News and World Report college rankings, led by the University of Virginia, which is ranked 24th overall.
The magazine's annual guide to "America's Best Colleges" hits newsstands Monday.
U.Va., the College of William & Mary and Virginia Tech are ranked among the top national universities. William & Mary is ranked 31st, with Tech coming in at 77th.
U.Va. slipped one spot for the third year in row. It remained, however, the second-highest ranked public university, sharing the title with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
The top ranked public university again this year is the University of California at Berkeley, at No. 21.
"You're glad to be included, and being the No. 1 or 2 public university for 10 years running is a good thing," said Carol Wood, a U.Va. spokeswoman. "But I think you also have to look at those rankings and see if they're a true reflection of the quality of the university and the quality of education our students are receiving."
Many colleges criticize the rankings, but they take them seriously. The University of Chicago, facing complaints from alumni about its ranking, says this year it re-examined figures it was submitting in categories such as financial resources and concluded it was underreporting. The school's ranking shot up from 15th to No. 9.
Princeton took the top spot, breaking a three-year tie for No. 1 with Ivy League rival Harvard.
Nine Virginia schools are ranked among Southern universities, master's degree category, led by No. 2 James Madison University. The University of Mary Washington is sixth.
In the master's degree category, UMW is ranked second among public institutions, and is recognized for having the second highest graduation rate in the South. Last year, UMW was listed as eighth overall and the third public master's university in the South.
"This is further evidence of something we have known all along--the excellence of our faculty, students and programs," UMW President William Frawley said. "It also gives us confidence that UMW will achieve all that we have ahead of us, and more."
Frawley said once a school is ranked highly, it's tough to continue moving up.
"It's like Yale becoming better than Harvard," Frawley said. "It's harder to go from three to two at this level."
In all, eight state schools are listed in the liberal arts colleges, with Washington & Lee University in 17th place.
Ferrum and Bluefield college were ranked in the comprehensive colleges, bachelor's Southern schools category. Ferrum was 46th and Bluefield came in at 49th.
The formula for the rankings includes variables such as graduation and retention rates, faculty and financial resources and the percentage of alumni donating money to their alma mater. The biggest single variable is a reputation assessment by peer institutions.
Here is how some other Virginia liberal-arts schools rank: 34. University of Richmond 74. Sweet Briar College 86. Randolph-Macon Woman's College 86. Virginia Military Institute 104. Hampden-Sydney College 104. Randolph-Macon College 104. Hollins University |