Ranking Methodology
U.S. News uses statistical data and subjective academic peer surveys when ranking colleges. Here are the weighted measures for national universities and national liberal arts colleges, categories that include Emory University, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.
Graduation and retention rates, 22.5 percent
Undergraduate academic reputation, 22.5 percent
Faculty resources, 20 percent
Student selectivity, 12.5 percent
Financial resources, 10 percent
Graduation rate performance*, 7.5 percent
Alumni giving, 5 percent
* Graduation rate performance is the difference between actual and predicted graduation rates.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges 2015.
U.S. News and World Report is out with its annual ranking of the nation’s best colleges.
The 2015 rankings, released Tuesday, mark the magazine's 30th edition of the popular report, and gives some Georgia colleges high marks.
Emory ranked 21st among the top 100 public and private schools in the Best National Colleges category; Georgia Tech tied with Brandeis University for 35th, and the University of Georgia tied with five other colleges at 62nd. Emory’s six-year graduation rate was 91 percent; Georgia Tech’s was 82 percent; UGA’s 83 percent.
Among public institutions, Georgia Tech ranked 7th on the list of top National Universities. UGA tied several other schools for 20th
Agnes Scott College and three other schools tied for 73rd in the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges category. Six schools, including Spelman College tied for 81st.
Among more than 50 ranked historically black colleges and universities, Spelman ranked first; Morehouse College ranked 3rd, and Clark Atlanta University ranked 18th.
The U.S. News rankings are used by parents and students to determine which college to attend, and are frequently used by colleges earning top spots as a marketing and promotional tool.
The 2015 rankings includes data on almost 1,800 colleges, with eligible schools ranked on up to 16 academic measures, including graduation and retention rates. New to this year’s rankings is information on each school’s profile page of its three-year federal loan default rate, as published by the U.S. Department of Education.
Also available for the first time is campus crime and security data reported by each school to the federal government under the requirements of the Clery Act. The data, which is not factored into the rankings, includes information on criminal offenses on campus and in off-campus properties used by students.
Full college rankings and lists are available at www.usnews.com/bestcolleges
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