For the eighth year in a row, Yale was ranked third in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, which this year were released Tuesday.
Harvard retained its top position on the list, while Princeton, which was tied with Harvard last year, slipped one place to the No. 2 slot. Among the top 10, Columbia is this year’s biggest mover, jumping four spots to number four on the list. Though Stanford, MIT and CalTech all tied for fourth last year, Stanford is now ranked fifth, along with the University of Pennsylvania. MIT and CalTech both slid to seventh place. Dartmouth, Duke and the University of Chicago all tied for ninth place.
U.S. News compiles its annual college rankings based on data and peer reviews submitted by colleges. Factors that determine a college’s rankings include selectivity, faculty quality, financial resources, student retention, alumni giving and graduation rates.
In addition to compiling its own rankings, U.S. News also surveyed guidance counselors from some of the nation’s best high schools about which colleges they thought offered the best undergraduate education. In the latest rankings, five colleges (Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale) all share the top spot.