Princeton University Leads U.S. News & World Report’s Rankings Again

Nassau HallPrinceton University again leads U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of top U.S. academic research institutions. Fellow Ivy League member Dartmouth College dropped out of the Top 10.

The three highest-ranking schools — Princeton, Harvard University and Yale University — were unchanged from the last year, according to the 2015 list released online. The 30th edition of the annual list includes data for almost 1,800 schools.

Dartmouth slipped to 11th place from a tie for 10th in the national universities category from a year earlier. Undergraduate applications dropped by 14 percent this year at the Hanover, New Hampshire-based school, amid a student outcry over sexual harassment and reports of fraternity hazing. Student selectivity makes up 12.5 percent of the school scoring.

The magazine’s highest-ranking public university was the University of California at Berkeley, and Williams College remains the top national liberal arts school for the 12th year in a row, followed by followed by Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley and Bowdoin. The top three public liberal arts schools are all military academies.

The rankings also weigh faculty resources, graduation and retention rates and opinions by peers and guidance counselors.

The U.S. Education Department this year is preparing to release its own rankings of colleges and universities that will examine graduation rates, affordability and access for low-income students. They rankings may eventually be tied to Department of Education funding.

Visit U.S. News & World Report online for the full list.