Latest U.S. News Rankings Again Have U.Va. as No. 2 Public, No. 23 Overall

U.S. News & World Report has reaffirmed the University of Virginia’s position among the country’s top institutions of higher education in its latest national rankings.

For the 10th consecutive year, U.Va. occupies the No. 2 spot among all public universities. And as it has every year since U.S. News began its rankings in 1988, the University is ranked in the Top 25 among all national universities, public or private.

For 2014, U.Va. is in a five-way tie for No. 23 among best national universities. It shares the spot with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and Wake Forest University. Princeton University is ranked the top national university.

U.Va. is tied with UCLA for the second spot among public universities. The University of California at Berkeley is ranked No. 1. Among other Virginia schools, the College of William & Mary is No. 6 among public universities, while Virginia Tech is tied for No. 25.

For U.Va., the remarkable string of high rankings serves as a testament to the University’s ability to attract and graduate top students as well as through superior assessments from peers and counselors, among other measures used by U.S. News.

“The rankings are an important reminder of the longstanding quality of an education from the University of Virginia,” U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan said. “They will not be used as a reason to stand still. In fact, U.Va. plans just the opposite. Through the development and implementation of a new strategic plan, we will build upon the strengths that the rankings help highlight while honing in on areas that allow the University to further stand out among our peers and competitors.”

A final draft of the University’s new strategic plan is scheduled to be presented to the Board of Visitors for approval later this year.

Also in the 2014 U.S. News rankings, U.Va.’s McIntire School of Commerce is tied with New York University for the No. 5 spot among the best undergraduate business schools – the second consecutive year the two have tied at No. 5. McIntire’s management specialty ranks No. 2, up from No. 5 last year.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science was ranked in an eight-school tie at No. 35 among engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. Among the eight others tied: the University of Florida and Brown University. The Engineering School was tied with several others for No. 34 last year.

U.Va. is ranked No. 25 among all national universities in the category of “Great Schools at Great Prices,” a calculation of top values that takes into account academic quality, costs and financial aid.

U.S. News produces its annual rankings with a formula designed to compile scores based on weighted measures in several categories. The system places the greatest weight on graduation and retention rates, assessment by peers and counselors, and faculty resources. It includes, but gives less weight to, measures such as student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving.

Other notable category results for U.Va.:

• The average freshman retention rate was 97 percent. The graduation and retention rank is tied for No. 11 among all national universities, and is by far the highest among public universities.
• At 93 percent, U.Va. had the highest 2012 actual graduation rate among public universities.
•  U.Va. ranked No. 38 in faculty resources, which considers class size, faculty salary and benefits, and ratio of full-time to part-time faculty.
• At No. 55 overall, U.Va. ranked last among the Top 25 universities in the financial resources category. This includes per-student spending for instruction, research, student services and other items. It also is a reflection of the level of state support public universities receive.