UW-Madison ranks seventh in nation

The university has been named the seventh-best public university in the 2003 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook published by U.S. News & World Report.

Among all universities, including private institutions, UW–Madison ranks 31st, up from 32nd last year. Princeton ranked first, and Harvard and Yale tied for second, the same as last year.

Other Big Ten universities in the top 20 this year are Michigan (third), Illinois (ninth), Penn State (12th), and Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue (tied at 20th). The University of California-Berkeley ranked first and the University of Virginia ranked second among public universities. Those rankings are similar to rankings of the past several years: UW–Madison was eighth among public institutions.

U.S. News uses seven indicators to try to assess quality: peer assessment of academic reputation, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for national universities, graduation rate performance — the difference between the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion of those who actually do. The indicators include measures that reflect a school’s student body, faculty and financial resources, and outcomes that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students, U.S. News contends.

“As in the past, UW–Madison continues to rank among the nation’s top public universities,” says Vice Chancellor John Torphy. “We rank third among public institutions based on the assessment of our peers.

“While the U.S. News rankings can be a starting point, it is important that prospective students consider a variety of factors, not just rankings, in selecting the program and the campus that best fits their goals,” Torphy adds. “UW-Madison is a great choice in terms of academic excellence and value.”

U.S. News began new rankings of some undergraduate programs and initiatives this year under the heading “Programs that Really Work.” UW–Madison ranked in the top 25 in half of them — learning communities (ninth), study abroad programs (14th), undergraduate research (15th and service learning (21st).

“I believe Michigan and UW–Madison are the only public doctoral universities identified in these new categories,” Torphy says. “Although these rankings can only be used as a starting point for selecting a university, they do show that we are recognized by peers for our initiatives in undergraduate education.”

U.S. News also published new national rankings of some individual UW–Madison schools and specialty programs:

• The School of Business ranked 11th in the nation. The business school’s insurance/risk management program ranked third.

• The College of Engineering ranked 12th among engineering schools nationally that grant doctorates. The school’s chemical engineering ranked fourth and nuclear engineering program ranked third.

“America’s Best Colleges” is slated to go on sale Monday, Sept. 16. Many rankings and some articles from the book will be in U.S. News & World Report, which also goes on sale Sept. 16.