US news college rankings

Technology News : US news college rankings Harvard pulled ahead of Ivy League rival Princeton in the latest edition of the influential US News & World Report university rankings, while a stronger emphasis on graduation rates drove other changes in the Top 10.

The most closely watched of a growing number of college rankings, the US News & World Report list is both credited for helping students and families sort through a dizzying college selection process and criticized by those who say it's too arbitrary and pressures colleges to boost scores at the expense of improving teaching.

A change in how rankings are determined led to some shifts in the magazine's "Best Colleges" rankings, which were released online Tuesday and examine more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools based on 16 factors.

How did Harvard edge Princeton by 1 point on an 100-point scale? Robert Morse, director of data research for U.S. News & World Report, credited Harvard's higher scores on graduation rates, and financial and faculty resources.

The rankings take into account factors such as SAT scores, selectivity, graduation and retention rates, alumni giving and peer reputation. This year, high-school guidance counselors' opinions were added to the mix.

Most notably, graduation rate performance was given greater weight, accounting for 7.5 percent of the final score for national universities and liberal arts colleges, up from 5 percent last year. The variable is the difference between a school's actual graduation rate and one predicted by U.S. News based on test scores and schools' resources.

The University of California, Berkeley is the highest-ranked public university, at No. 22 overall in the US News report. Despite a severe budget crisis, five schools in the UC system were among the top 10 public universities.