U.S. News ranks UW-Madison eighth among public universities

The 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” ranks the UW–Madison eighth among the nation’s 50 top public universities and 34th overall. Last year, the university ranked seventh among public institutions and 32nd overall. The publication reviews 248 doctoral institutions, of which 162 are public and 86 private.

UW–Madison’s School of Business ranked 12th overall among the top business schools, moving up from 14 last year. Its real estate program ranked fourth and its insurance program fifth. (The rankings only list the top five in each special program category.)

The College of Engineering moved up to No. 12, after being ranked at 13 in 2005. Its chemical engineering program remained at the No. 4 ranking it was given last year.

“These rankings do not tell the whole story,” says UW–Madison Provost Peter Spear. “Individuals and their families who are contemplating a college or university selection should look beyond rankings and make sure it’s the right choice for the prospective student.”

A university’s ranking is determined on the basis of several categories: peer assessment (25 percent); student selectivity (15 percent); faculty resources, including average total compensation (20 percent); financial resources (10 percent); graduation/retention rates (20 percent); graduation rate performance (5 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent).

Most of UW–Madison’s ratings in those categories showed little change from last year. However, the faculty resources rating dropped from 58 last year to 63 this year.

In the unranked lists of schools with “Programs to Look For,” formerly called “Programs to Enhance Learning,” UW–Madison was recognized by its peers in the categories of Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects and Learning Communities.