Rankings
U.S. News & World Report Rankings: America's Best CollegesThe University of Virginia continues to excel in the U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings. In March 2009, many of U.Va.'s graduate programs earned top recognitions (see below). In August 2009, U.S. News & World Report's latest (undergraduate) college rankings placed the University of Virginia as the nation's No. 2 public university and 24th (tied with UCLA) among 248 national universities. Since U.S. News began a separate listing of the top 50 public universities, U.Va. has never been ranked lower than No. 2. In the 20-year history of the rankings, U.Va. has never dropped out of the top 25 listing of all public and private universities. The University of Virginia has the highest graduation rate among public universities. More.
| University of Virginia, for 2010 | ||
| 2nd | Best Public University | |
| 24th | Best Public/Private National University (tied with UCLA) | |
Schools, Departments and Programs. Not all schools or programs are rated every year, so the date of the last ranking is posted in parentheses.
| 6th | McIntire School of Commerce (2010 ) | |
| 6th | Management (2010) | |
| 8th | Finance (2010) | |
| 8th | Marketing (2010) | |
| 13th | Accounting (2010) | |
| 15th | Management Information Systems (2008) | |
| 20th | Entrepreneurship (2005) | |
| 22nd | International Business (2007) | |
| 30th | Accounting Graduate Program (2008) | |
| 10th | Law School (2010) | |
| 8th | International Law (2010) | |
| 11th | Tax Law (2010) | |
| 10th | English Department, Ph.D. Programs (2010) | |
| 4th | American Literature before 1865 (2010) | |
| 6th | 18th-20th Century British Literature (2010) | |
| 11th | American Literature after 1865 (2010) | |
| 11th | Medieval and Renaissance Literature | |
| 12th | African-American Literature (2010) | |
| 17th | Gender and Literature (2010) | |
| 12th | Biomedical Engineering Department (2010)* | |
| 14th | Physics Department, Graduate Program: Atomic/Molecular/Optical/Plasma (2002) | |
| 14th | Political Theory, Ph.D. Program (2010) | |
| 15th | Darden Graduate School of Business Administration (2010) | |
| 8th | Management (2010) | |
| 15th | Executive MBA (2010) | |
| 19th | Marketing (2010) | |
| 30th | Accounting (McIntire School of Commerce) (2008) | |
| 19th | Nursing School, Graduate Programs (2008) | |
| 5th | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing (2008) | |
| 6th | Clinical Nurse Specialist: Adult Medical/Surgical (2008) | |
| 13th | Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program (2008) | |
| 16th | Family Nurse Practitioner Program (2008) | |
| 20th | History Department, Ph.D. Programs (2010) | |
| 6th | U.S. Colonial History (2010) | |
| 8th | Modern U.S. History (2010) | |
| 23rd | Psychology Department, Ph.D. Programs (2010) | |
| 4th | Developmental Psychology (2010) |
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| 10th | Social Psychology (2010) | |
| 16th | Clinical Psychology (2009) |
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| 24th | Curry School of Education, Graduate Programs (2010) | |
| 4th | Special Education (2010) | |
| 5th | Elementary Education (2010) | |
| 6th | Secondary Education (2010) | |
| 10th | Curriculum Instruction (2010) | |
| 13th | Educational Policy (2010) | |
| 19th | Higher Education Administration (2010) | |
| 24th | Administration and Supervision (2010) | |
| 24th | School of Medicine, Research (2010) | |
| 29th | Primary Care (2010) | |
| 28th | Economics Department, Ph.D. Programs (2010) | |
| 37th | School of Engineering and Applied Science, Undergraduate Programs (2010) | |
| 18th | Biomedical Engineering (2010) | |
| 23rd | Chemical Engineering (2010) | |
| 37th | School of Engineering and Applied Science, Graduate Programs (2010) | |
| 12th | Biomedical Engineering (2010)* | |
| 25th | Materials Science (2010) | |
| 29th | Computer Science (Ph.D. Program) (2009) | |
| 32nd | Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical (2010) | |
| 33rd | Chemical Engineering (2010) | |
| 33rd | Computer Engineering (2010) | |
| 36th | Civil Engineering (2010) | |
| 40th | Mechanical Engineering (2010) | |
| 41st | Electrical/Electronic/Communications (2010) | |
| Ph.D. Programs - The Sciences | ||
| 29th | Computer Science (2009) | |
| 36th | Physics (2009) | |
| 40th | Math (2009) | |
| 42nd | Biological Sciences (2008) | |
| 50th | Chemistry (2008) | |
* Biomedical Engineering is part of the School of Engineering & Applied Science and the School of Medicine.
National Research Council Rankings
In 1995, the National Research Council evaluated 274 institutions and placed U.Va.'s graduate programs high on the list.
TOP 10
| 4th | English Department |
| 5th | Spanish and Portuguese |
| 6th | Religious Studies Department |
| 8th | German Department |
| 9th | Physiology Department |
TOP 20
| 13th | French Department |
| 16th | Art History |
| 17th | Astronomy Department |
| 18th | Classics |
| 19th | History Department |
| 19th | Psychology Department |
Top Hospitals
March 2009: the University of Virginia Medical Center is one of only 15 major teaching hospitals to be ranked among the nation's top 100 hospitals, according to Thomson Reuters' 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks study. In addition, the U.Va. Medical Center is one of only two hospitals from the Commonwealth to be selected. Read more.In November 2007, the University of Virginia Medical Center was selected as an award winner in the 2007 Thomson 100 Top Hospitals®: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success Study, 9th Edition.
Hospital Specialties
July 2009 — U.S. News & World Report has ranked the following three medical specialties at the University of Virginia Health System. U.Va.'s endocrinology (hormonal disorders) program has consistently ranked as one of the nation's top programs by U.S. News since the 1990s. Read more.
| 12th | Endocrinology (Hormonal Disorders) |
| 39th | Cancer |
| 47rd | Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat) |
Top Doctors
In April 2009, the number of doctors from the University of Virginia Health System selected for inclusion in the annual guide America's Top Doctors™ (eighth edition) totaled forty seven. Published annually by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., the book recognizes physicians who are considered among the top one percent in the nation in their medical specialties and sub-specialties. More.
December 2007: The largest number ever of University of Virginia physicians were named to the list of "Best Doctors in America" by Best Doctors Inc., with 160 names on the list. The Best Doctors are selected through a peer nomination process combined with additional research. More than a quarter million doctors are surveyed in the evaluation process to make selections for each list. More.
Newsweek/Kaplan "How to Get Into College" Guide
The 2007 edition of the guidebook cited U.Va. as one of 25 "New Ivies," a group of public and private institutions "whose first-rate academic programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have fueled their rise in stature and favor among the nation's top students, administrators and faculty — edging them to a competitive status rivaling the Ivy League." The University was one of only four public institutions among the list of "New Ivies." Read more.
University of Virginia's College at Wise
The 2009 U.S. News & World report ranked the University of Virginia College at Wise No. 4 for 2010 among liberal art colleges in the Least Debt category. While 59 percent of students at the College at Wise graduate with debt, at an average debt of $10,252, it is the fourth lowest among national liberal arts colleges.
BusinessWeek Rankings
February 2009 - BusinessWeek ranks the McIntire School of Commerce as the No. 1 undergraduate business program in the country. Read More. In 2008, BusinessWeek ranked the McIntire School of Commerce as the No. 2 undergraduate business program in the country for the third year in a row. BusinessWeek takes a variety of factors into account to determine the rankings, including academic quality, students' satisfaction with their programs, test scores and class size. Read the BusinessWeek article. In 2004, BusinessWeek released its biennial survey of America's top graduate business schools and ranked the University's Darden School of Graduate Business Administration 12th in the nation.
New Ranking of Business Schools by Efficacy Places U.Va. in Top 3
June 2008 — An economist at Vanderbilt University took the top 50 business programs in the nation, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, and reordered them according to the gains in salary that the school appears to provide. Using this system, Cornell University came out on top, followed by Indiana University at Bloomington and the University of Virginia. More.
U.Va. Ranks No. 1 by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity, According to Forbes Magazine
May 2008 — Forbes published a listing that ranked U.Va. No. 1 among national public universities by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity, a research organization in Washington, D.C. that evaluates colleges based on results. More.
Forbes Ranks the Darden School of Graduate Business at No. 9
In August 2009, Forbes released a biennial survey of America's best business schools and ranked Darden 9th in the nation. The survey ranks schools based on "return on investment," which is determined by compensation five years after graduation minus tuition and the forgone salary during school. More.
Financial Times Ranks Darden Executive Education Program among the World's Best
May 2008 — Darden's Executive Education program has, once again, been ranked among the world's best according to the Financial Times.
University of Virginia Tops National 'Best Value' Ranking of Public Universities
January 2009 — The University of Virginia offers students the best education for their money of all the nation's public universities, according to "Best Value Colleges for 2009," a ranking released by The Princeton Review and USA TODAY. More.
Princeton Review Ranks U.Va. Among the Best Colleges
The Princeton Review continues to give high rankings to the University of Virginia in its 2009 "The Best 368 Colleges" guide, which is based on surveys of administrators and students. The Princeton Review ranked U.Va. first in its list of best-value public undergraduate colleges, which is based on a variety of factors, including academics, cost and financial aid. U.Va. also received top recognition in the categories of Best Career/Job Placement Services (No. 9), Best College Library (No. 19), and Best Southeastern Colleges. More.
Darden Professors are No. 1, Princeton Review Says
For the second consecutive year, in 2009 the Princeton Review has ranked the faculty at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business as the best in the business. More.
Darden Made the Top 10 in Six Categories:
- Best Professors — No. 1
- Campus Facilities — No. 5
- Campus Environment — No. 6
- Most Family Friendly — No. 7
- Best Career Perspectives — No. 7
- Best Classroom Experience — No. 9
Princeton Review Ranks U.Va. Law First in Quality of Life
In the 2009 edition of its "Best 174 Law Schools," the Princeton Review ranked U.Va.'s School of Law first in the "Quality of Life" category. Other rankings for U.Va. Law: No. 3 in Best Career Prospects, No. 4 in "Professors Rock" (Legally Speaking), and No. 5 in Best Classroom Experience.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine Recognizes U.Va. Among Top-Value Colleges
December 2008 — Based on the quality of both its academic and financial aid offerings, the University of Virginia ranks third among more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities across the nation for "best value," according to an annual ranking by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. More.
U.Va. Leads Public Universities with Highest African-American Graduation Rate
March 2009 — For the 15th straight year, the University of Virginia's African-American students posted the highest graduation rate among those at all public universities in the nation, according to the annual compilation published by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE). Read more.
Black Enterprise Magazine Names U.Va. to List of "50 Top Colleges for African Americans"
In the September 2008 issue of Black Enterprise magazine, U.Va. again made the list of the 50 Top Colleges for African Americans. Read more.
U.Va. Maintains High Graduation Rate for Student-Athletes
NCAA 2008 data shows the University of Virginia holds a 86 percent graduation rate among athletes, having measures in place for helping student-athletes achieve academic success.
U.Va. Among Top Schools With Peace Corps Volunteers
February 4, 2009 —The University of Virginia was ranked 11th among large universities in having the most volunteers on the Peace Corps' annual list of "Top Producing Colleges and Universities." U.Va. has 62 alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Read more.