Boston University ranked 53rd in the 2012 edition of “U.S. News & World Report” Best Colleges rankings, one above its ranking last year, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Out of national universities, BU lagged behind Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Tulane University, but ranked above schools such as Northeastern University and Purdue University. U.S. News called BU one of the largest, independent nonprofit universities in the country.
The list graded colleges based on campus life, academic offerings, student activities, sports, cost and financial aid, according to U.S. News.
The ranking system follows the breakdown of higher education institutions set by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Researchers examined 16 factors and then compared colleges to their peers in those categories and awarded a composite weighted score.
The data considered includes SAT scores, graduation rates, student to faculty ratios, the percentage of students who graduated at the top of their class, alumni donations, spending for student and other indicators, according to the U.S. News website.
U.S. News & World Report did not take into account how much money students earn after they graduate, according to an article in The Los Angeles Times.
No list has reportedly calculated post-graduate earnings, but the Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2011 came close. The Forbes list, released Aug. 3, examined alumni’s careers and named Williams College in western Massachusetts the top college for the second year in a row, according to the Forbes website.
BU is 82nd on the Forbes list, ranking above Carnegie Melon University, which is 98th, Johns Hopkins University, 101th, and New York University, 200th.