U.S. News ranks U.Va. No. 2 this year

Staff Report

The University of Virginia is ranked the No. 2 public university and 21st among all national universities, public or private, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2001 college rankings, published Sept. 10.

Only two other public universities are listed in the top 25: the University of California-Berkeley at 20th and the University of Michigan, 25th. Last year, U.Va. and Cal-Berkeley tied for the top public spot at 20th overall.

Though the object of much controversy in educational circles, the U.S. News rankings are widely read and cited.

According to this year’s rankings, U.Va. has the highest graduation rate of any public college or university and is ninth overall. In the magazine’s listing of “great schools at great prices,” U.Va. and the University of Missouri-Columbia are the top-ranked public universities, tied at eighth overall with Dartmouth and MIT. In calculating best values, U.S. News considers the cost of tuition and need-based aid to out-of-state students, along with each institution’s overall quality ranking.

Each fall, the magazine also ranks undergraduate programs in engineering and business. The McIntire School of Commerce gained one place compared to last year, tying for seventh with Carnegie Mellon.

U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science tied for 32nd, matching its 1999 ranking, but down five places from last year.

A key factor in the slight dip in University’s overall ranking is its continued decline in financial resources — the amount spent per student on teaching, research, student services and educational expenditures. The University dropped to 66th, down from 64th last year and 62nd in 1999. This can be considered a measure of efficiency, as U.Va. spends less than any of its peers to achieve top-25 results.

The University’s College at Wise is listed among the top 20 public liberal arts colleges in the nation. Virginia Military Institute and Mary Washington College are ranked first and third, but after the top five, the remaining 15 schools are not put in successive order.

The complete rankings, including specialties and programs not published in the magazine, are online at http://www.usnews.com/.