Rochester-area schools find spots on Best Colleges rankings

Area colleges and universities were ranked among top institutions in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The report is based on information from more than 1,800 schools across the country.

Among National Universities, University of Rochester was No. 33, while Rochester Institute of Technology ranked No. 102 and St. John Fisher College was No. 152. Princeton University took the top spot on the National Universities and Best Value Schools lists.

Some local schools ranked as follows among Best Value Schools:

• University of Rochester: No.23
• Nazareth College: No. 31
• Roberts Wesleyan College: No. 39
• SUNY College at Geneseo: No. 41
• RIT: No. 43
• SUNY College at Brockport: No. 81
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges: No.93

For the first time, the University of California—Los Angeles was the sole No. 1 Top Public School among National Universities, having tied for first in the 2018 ranking. The California university system improved in the rankings because of its performance graduating high proportions of low-income students – new this year in the Best Colleges methodology.

Focusing on academic excellence, the Best Colleges rankings evaluate schools on hundreds of data points using up to 16 measures of academic quality. U.S. News updated the Best Colleges methodology to further emphasize student outcomes, which hold the most weight at 35 percent – up from 30 percent last year. Through this update, U.S. News is measuring how well schools support low-income students through graduation.

“A university is not successful if it does not graduate its students, which is why the Best Colleges rankings place the greatest value on outcomes, including graduation and retention rates,” said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. “By including social mobility indicators, U.S. News is further recognizing colleges that serve all of their students, regardless of economic status.”