UVA drops two spots in national rankings, stays steady among publics
In the annual game of musical chairs that is the U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings, UVA stayed steady among top public universities this year but slipped two spots in the national ranking.
Virginia dropped from No. 24 to No. 26 among all national universities while maintaining its No. 4 spot among top public universities. In the former list, UVA is tied with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which rose a spot from last year.
Among public universities, UVA came in fourth behind No. 1 University of California, Berkeley, and No. 2 University of California, Los Angeles, which switched spots from last year’s list. The University of Michigan remained at No. 3.
When compared with its public peers, UVA stood out in several important areas. Among the top five, it boasted the highest first-year retention rate and highest graduation rate, including among low-income students. It also has the highest percentage of full-time faculty members.
UVA also moved up one spot, to No. 2, among best-value public universities. UNC is No. 1, and SUNY Binghamton University is No. 3. U.S. News estimates that, after grants, UNC costs students $21,452; UVA students $29,304; and Binghamton students $39,431.
According to U.S. News, the best-value rankings weigh academic quality against net cost most heavily, followed by the percentage of students receiving need-based aid, the proportion of aid given as grants versus loans, and the average discount from need-based scholarships. Public-university rankings reflect out-of-state costs for fair comparisons with private universities.
In other rankings, UVA again appeared on Forbes’ “new Ivies” list, now in its second year. Forbes defines new Ivies as outstanding public and private universities that attract top students and produce graduates who outpace most Ivy Leaguers in the eyes of employers. Among public schools, The College of William & Mary also made the list of 10.
In the Wall Street Journal ranking, UVA rose four spots, to No. 10 among public universities, while California public universities dominated the newspaper’s top public spots. Money Magazine’s Best College rankings again awarded UVA 4.5 stars out of 5.
