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Princeton University, Williams College Named America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report

For the 2014 fiscal year, Princeton University was the fourth wealthiest private university in the nation.

Princeton University claimed the top spot again in U.S. News & World Report’s latest edition of Best Colleges.

The new edition, released today, includes data on nearly 1,800 colleges and features rankings of 1,376 schools.

Princeton University is No. 1 in the best national universities category. Williams College once again tops the best national liberal arts colleges list. The University of California—Berkeley is the No. 1 public school.

For the first time, the United States Naval Academy has entered the top 10 on the national liberal arts colleges list. The school ties with Claremont McKenna College and Davidson College at No. 9. After 16 years, Johns Hopkins University returns to the top 10 in the national universities category, tied with the California Institute of Technology at No. 10.

The U.S. News rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 16 measures of academic quality. The rankings emphasize outcomes, with graduation and retention rates carrying the most weight in the methodology at 30 percent.

“Taking into account how well a school supports its students from freshman year through graduation is important,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. “To find the best fit, students should consider a range of factors, from financial aid offerings and location to campus size and majors. The process can be overwhelming, but our rankings and advice content are a great place to start.”

The 2016 edition debuts a “most innovative schools” list, featuring institutions making inventive improvements in terms of campus life, curriculum, facilities, faculty, students or technology.

“We are the only organization that has been ranking schools for over three decades,” said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. “Over that time we have improved our information and sharpened our methodology’s focus, with one of the biggest updates being a greater consideration of output measurements.”

For the full list of rankings, visit https://www.usnews.com/colleges.

Best National Universities
1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Yale University (CT)
4. Columbia University (NY)
4. Stanford University (CA)
4. University of Chicago (IL)
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Duke University (NC)
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. California Institute of Technology
10. Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Best National Liberal Arts Colleges
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)
4. Bowdoin College (ME)
4. Middlebury College (VT)
4. Pomona College (CA)
4. Wellesley College (MA)
8. Carleton College (MN)
9. Claremont McKenna College (CA)
9. Davidson College (NC)