Boston University ranked 39th in U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 National Universities Rankings, tying with Northeastern University. The ranking, released Tuesday, marks the highest place BU has ever received, and the first time BU has placed in the top 40 schools.
Ten universities in Massachusetts ranked in top 100, and five ranked higher than BU: Harvard University placed second, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in seventh, Tufts University in 27th, Boston College at 31th and Brandeis University at 34th.
BU moved up two spots from last year’s ranking, and the change is most likely due to “small improvements in alumni giving, graduation performance and student selectivity measures,” Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News and World Report, wrote in an email.
The methodology behind U.S. News and World Report’s ranking put an emphasis on student outcome. Information including graduation and retention rates makes up 30 percent of the evaluation, Morse wrote.
“[Student outcome] is an important indicator of how well a school supports its students academically and financially,” he wrote.
The rankings are a great place to focus an initial college search, Morse wrote, especially if a student prioritizes academic quality, but it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor.
“The rankings should not be used as the sole basis to decide to go to one school over another school,” he wrote. “But they are a source of useful information … offering data on more than 1,800 U.S.-based schools.”
BU spokesman Colin Riley said the rankings are a useful starting point, but the best way for prospective students to get a feel for BU is by visiting the campus.
“[The ranking] isn’t the be-all and end-all,” Riley said. “Visit the school. Of course not everyone can do that. Many live far away or are in foreign countries.”
Riley said BU’s slight uptick in rankings may be due to the university $2 billion investment in new facilities over the past 20 years.
“[U.S. News and World Report] recognized all the new laboratories, classroom space, academic support and new student residences,” Riley said.
Several students said they are glad to see that the university is rising in rankings, and they are proud to part of the change.
Emma Everett, a junior in the College of Communication, said she is not surprised that BU is rising in rank, and the university’s success is due to the accomplishments of each individual college.
“There are a lot of cool things going on in every college [within BU],” she said. “If things continue to stay the same, I don’t see why we wouldn’t keep going up.”
Savanah Macdonald, a COM sophomore, said the university’s dedication to improve infrastructure contributes to BU’s advance in the rankings.
“I feel really happy because I’ll be graduating from here,” MacDonald said. “I’m also not surprised because BU is constantly working to upgrade the infrastructure and professionals who work here, [creating] a space that’s really advancing the students and creating professionals upon graduation.”
Elena Woodside, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she is looking forward to seeing the university continue to make improvements.
“It’s really cool especially because we moved up so far,” Woodside said. “It’s incredible to attend BU, which is now considered one of the best schools in the world. We’re definitely going to improve too because where else would we go but up?”
Very impressive article! Proud of BU and the fact that it is always improving.