WUSTL ranked 12th in best value by U.S. News

Washington University — consistently ranked among America’s 20 best national universities — is now ranked 12th in the best value category, titled “Great schools, great prices,” an increase of two spots from last year, according to new undergraduate rankings released by U.S. News & World Report magazine.

The University is tied with Northwestern University for 11th place in undergraduate programs among the nation’s best national universities.

U.S. News rankings

Undergraduate programs:

1. (tie) Harvard University
Princeton University

3. Yale University

4. University of Pennsylvania

5. (tie) Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Duke University
Stanford University

8. California Institute of Technology

9. (tie) Columbia University
Dartmouth College

11. (tie) Washington University
Northwestern University

13. Brown University

14. (tie) Cornell University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Chicago

17. Rice University

18. (tie) University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University

20. Emory University

WUSTL dropped one place from a tie for ninth with Dartmouth College to a tie for 11th with Northwestern among the 248 national universities rated by U.S. News.

The U.S. News undergraduate rankings are derived from peer assessments by university chief executive officers, provosts and admissions deans, as well as from data gathered from each institution. This data is broken down into categories and assigned a weight reflecting the magazine’s judgment about which measures of quality matter most.

This year’s results, published in the weekly edition of U.S. News and its America’s Best Colleges guide, rank WUSTL fourth in financial resources; sixth in faculty resources, an increase of five spots; eighth in selectivity, an increase of one spot; and ninth in alumni giving.

A complete list of the rankings is posted on the publication’s Web site, usnews.com.

The formula used to determine which schools offer the best value relates a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its U.S. News ranking, to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of financial aid. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.

“I believe we are a better university than we were a year ago,” Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said. “Our focus continues to be on the quality of our students, faculty programs and facilities, and I think that is reflected in our ranking as 12th in overall value.

“We have improved dramatically in all those areas, and we are working hard to continue that improvement.”

The Olin School of Business is ranked as the 11th-best business school among national universities, tied with Indiana University and the University of Illinois. It is an increase from the Olin School’s ranking of 14th a year ago. The business school also ranked 17th in finance.

“We are delighted at this recognition from U.S. News,” said Stuart I. Greenbaum, Ph.D., dean of the Olin School and Bank of America Professor of Managerial Leadership.

“Our program has improved from year to year and is among the most distinguished in the nation. This is a product of our outstanding students and faculty and a commitment to excellence that is unswerving.”

The School of Engineering & Applied Science is ranked 39th, tied with seven other schools, including Brown University, the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University.